My letter to NPR RE 'One-State' Idea Gains Support Of Some Palestinians

Palestinian children play next to Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank town of Abu Dis in 2011. As peace talks between Israel and Palestine remain at a standstill, people are looking to other possible solutions. Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP

RE:  'One-State' Idea Gains Support Of Some Palestinians
http://www.npr.org/2012/04/12/150447864/one-state-idea-gains-support-of-some-palestinians

Dear NPR,

The "One State" solution advocacy has been around, it predates the Palestine Liberation Organization's formal recognition of Israel in 1993.  It is very easy and quite tempting for the naive and well meaning (as well as the religiously motivated) to be drawn into believing the fantasy that one state will end the conflict, until one realizes that much of the conflict is actually generated by one state advocates and religious extremists on both sides who seriously seek to annihilate the other "side". That IS the conflict.... not the solution.

Sovereign as well as personal respect for international law and universal basic human rights needs to be the goal: A fully secular, fully civilized two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict with all the angst, rage, bigotry, injustice, extremism, delusions, despair, violence and cruelty that conflict inspires really is the best way forward.  One sovereign Israel and one sovereign Palestine and one sovereign just and lasting peace for all the people- regardless of supposed race or religion. 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
"The "threat" posed by a potential Palestinian state is the most common Israeli objection to a two-state solution. But the occupation itself is the main source of insecurity and lack of peace. The mainstream Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has staked its future on a two-state agreement and an end to the occupation. Through the Arab Peace Initiative, the rest of the Arab world signaled unanimously that an Israeli-Palestinian final status agreement would also mean normalization between Israel and the Arab states. Plainly, most Palestinians, other Arabs and their governments would welcome an end to this destabilizing conflict." Hussein Ibish

"It is a sad fact that many of those with power have done everything possible to effectively block a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To date, their efforts have succeeded, resulting in creating a deeply deformed situation in Israel, in Washington, and in the occupied Palestinian lands." James Zogby

"Since 1967, the consensus in the international community and among the majority of Israelis has been that there would be two political entities, with Israelis returning to their pre-1967 borders except for some small land swaps along the border. The Camp David Accords of 1978, accepted by Israel, called for the withdrawal of political and military forces from the occupied territories, and President George W. Bush specifically endorsed a Palestinian nation in this area. As late as May 2009, President Obama accepted this concept as the basis for peace." Jimmy Carter

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

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