One State, Two States, Three States, or …

The two state solution was dealt a mortal blow the day Hamas starting throwing Fatah representatives off the roofs of buildings in Gaza in 2007. Up to that point, Israel’s leadership had been dancing with Mahmoud Abbas the strange dance of diplomacy, twirling around a Palestinian state that would have two pieces, separated by a single, secure Israel.

The Middle East has been carved up, separated, created and re-created dozens of times over the years, and the pie cutting continues to this day.

From the disputed areas of Yemen, to the “wild west” areas of northern Pakistan, to Iraq, outsiders and insiders have been re-shaping that part of the world forever, it seems. Wasn’t it Vice-President Joe Biden who suggested we carve Iraq into three nation states? Iraq is nowhere near a solution to its internal divisions, and I would wager a re-emergence of that argument is destined to make its way back into the international debate over Iraq’s future.

Ever since Israel’s founding in 1948, and especially after the 1967 war when Israel conquered what is now called the West Bank and Gaza, to the aftermath of the nearly disastrous 1973 war, debates have raged about what to do with Gaza as part of a potential two state solution. How do you create a nation called Palestine in two disparate sections? Will there be a tunnel connecting the two? Do you build a “highway in the sky” perched above Israeli land that shuttles residents from one to the other without them entering Israeli property? Do you just open the borders, like other civilized nations? Well, we know what happens when you open borders; people with explosives strapped to them visit coffee shops, restaurants, and schools.

The hope was certainly there earlier in this decade when Fatah renounced the PLO Charter and began to behave like nation builders. Under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority started a campaign of commerce, educational reform, and political repair. Elections were held and elected officials appeared to act like community leaders instead of terrorists. That is, until the elections in Gaza when Hamas gained a majority of the council seats. Hamas then felt emboldened enough to seize all power in a violent and deadly power struggle against Fatah, the recognized ruling government of the Palestinian Authority.

Of course, the “can’t we all just live together in peace” crowd continued chanting for a single entity on all the land. A single nation of Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Jews and Christian Arabs all living together under one government is that dream. There are so many absurdities with that notion that it is equally ridiculous to even review them.

By the summer of 2008, Gaza was clearly an Islamic entity, from its leadership to its police to the terrorists masquerading as soldiers, to the teachers and the lower level bureaucrats. The Hamas charter was quoted often in the media. Israel as an aggressor was highlighted frequently in press clippings from Gaza, even when rockets were falling indiscriminately over and into the homes of Israeli civilians throughout the southern quarter of the country, the majority of the press focused on the hungry of Gaza, the poor Gazans being oppressed by big bad Israel. Gaza also broke off communications with Fatah in the West Bank, and promised to work to take over there as well. Abbas and his Fatah loyalists, as well as many civilians in the West Bank, voiced opposition to Hamas’ reign of terror in Gaza.

Maybe, thought some, Gaza should become Hamastan. Fatah has the West Bank. Israel has, well, Israel. Can three states survive? Gaza would self destruct, or be destroyed. The new Palestine in the West Bank may become a fractured society, even with the support of moderate Arab nations. Although Abbas enjoys high levels of popularity in the West Bank, the polls also indicate that many Palestinians consider Gaza part of Palestine, and do not favor Gaza as a separate entity. Clearly, many moderate Arab nations are against another Iran dominated and sponsored nation-state next door. Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians to name a few will work to topple any recognized Islamic entity in Gaza. Why do you think there is such a silence, in relative terms, coming from Jordan, Egypt, etc., during this recent war against Hamas in Gaza? The moderate Arab world fears Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the radicalized Islamists.

Israeli President Shimon Peres recently remarked that this period of time, during this current Gaza operation, is Israel’s finest hour. This comes from a man who has been a leader in Israel since before Israel existed. President Peres has witnessed it all, the miracle of 1948 and the UN vote, the victory of 1967, the horror and near defeat of 1973, the tragedy of Sabra and Shatilla, the 1982 war, the intifadas, the Lebanon fiasco, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why does he say this? According to Daniel Gordis of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, President Peres, former Prime Minister, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, rightly sees Israel once again taking control of her own destiny. When Israel came into being, the Jewish State told the world that no longer would someone else be in charge to tell Jews when to live and when to die. Israel now tells the world, and Hamas, that they will not dictate to Israel by rocket fire Israel’s destiny. Israel’s destiny is in her hands, through the determination of her people, her army, and her worldwide supporters.

Israel will not tolerate a terror state next door. Hamas cannot be allowed to terrorize Israel’s people. Israel is willing to make peace. Israel is ready to talk with President Abbas and others in the Arab world toward a peaceful resolution of hostilities. Having Hamas on her southern border is unacceptable to Israel.

One state won’t work, Israel would disappear and that is unacceptable. Two states could work, but not with Hamas in control. Three states; never mind – it’s not going to happen.

What if we entertain the notion that Jordan already is Palestine? And what if we also entertain the notion that Gaza, which came out of Egypt, could be returned to Egypt?

Jordan must be convinced that a secular, law abiding nation of Palestinians, many of whom are Jordanian by ancestry, join the Jordanian enterprise, with peaceful relations with Israel and open borders for trade, travel and tourism. Egypt on the other hand, will need considerable help in absorbing the hotbed of Gaza. The world, especially the Arab world, can help finance the absorption. The ideologues of Islamic fundamentalism and the Hamas terrorists, not to mention Hezbollah on the north and Iran further afield, will need some nudging from true Islam to fade into obscurity. It seems impossible, doesn’t it? So did Israel in 1945.

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assisi is credited with this quote.

We’ve tried what we think is possible and we’ve tried everything else. Now is the time to move on to the impossible. We owe it to our children and the next generation to try.

Neal Elyakin, Ann Arbor, January 16, 2009