It’s sad, but I realized a few weeks ago that if you map out the direction of Israel, the hard right vision is essentially Iran.
Setting aside the treatment of the Palestinians, Israel was once known for its cosmopolitan night life and high quality universities. Now, its seen a takeover by the militant, backwards, misogynistic theocrats. And as more and more people get angry about losing their rights, the theocrats get more and more heavy-handed in militarizing their society, both inwardly and outwardly. And as the rest of the world becomes more and more disgusted, the country is becoming more and more isolated.
I still believe in a better way: I want to see a one state solution.
People don’t say this often but I actually appreciate what there is to like about Israel. There’s a lot of cool people and great culture and natural splendor. Same for Palestine too. If we can just apply enough pressure and stop saying “tWo sTaTE soLuTiON! tWO sTAte SoLUtION!!” and just say “Enough. It’s time you recognized that it’s been one country oppressing half its population this whole time, so stop oppressing people and give everyone the same rights.”
I say this because the status quo is already over. I think that it can either become modern South Africa, or Iran. Those are the two most likely paths, and I really want the first one.
you wrote “You can admire Israel’s natural beauty (which is just deserts really?)”.
if you’ve been there, you’re supposed to know that while the south of israel is mostly deserts, you won’t find any deserts in the rest of it.
i wrote most of the south, not most of israel…
and you wrote “just deserts”…
the center and north don’t have deserts.
there are meadows and forests. in some places there’s snow in the winter.
so again, not “just deserts really”. which is what you wrote.
For that to happen Zionism needs to be banned and the indoctrination of children to believe that they are carrying intergenerational trauma in order to justify apartheid and genocide needs to end
The Zionists and their supporters do not want a two state solution ever. Zionism is a fascist ideology. As such it needs the perpetual doublethink of “we are the greatest and superior to everyone else” like written in the Israel constitution as an Ethnostate for ethnic Jews while also constantly claiming “we are at the brink of extinction and need a brutal government to protect us, from all the other people”.
The language, the demeanor and the actions of the mainstream Israel politics, media and culture are showing this to an extreme.
A one state solution would be the polar opposite, as it would not only rely on acknowledging that ethnic or any other supremacism is always wrong, but also the realization that not everyone is out to get you, if you stop murdering and oppressing people.
Rabin was murdered by a Likud fanatic with ties to the Mossad, after Netanyahu and his fascist friends have called for violence against Rabin, and compared him to Hitler. That was 30 years ago.
Since then Likud and the less far right parties that briefly ruled in between have turned Israel into what it is now.
the conspiracy theory is about shabak, not the mossad and it was spread by radical israeli right-wingers as a conpiracy by, what they consider, a leftist shabak that was trying to delegitimize the right and increase the support for the left.
yigal amir supported kahanists like ben gvir and his ilk, not the likud.
after rabin, there was ehud barak who was voted in, who also tried to reach a 2 state solution with arafat in 2000.
After the founding of Israel, the Two-State Solutions were utilized to further annex the Palestinian Occupied Territories and enact military control over Palestinians while denying them human and civil rights. This is apartheid. Despite this, both Fatah and Hamas have accepted a Two-State Solution on the 1967 borders, with the two most important factors being the Right of Return of Palestinian refugees and an end to the permanent occupation.
The settlements represent land-grabbing, and land-grabbing and peace-making don’t go together, it is one or the other. By its actions, if not always in its rhetoric, Israel has opted for land-grabbing and as we speak Israel is expanding settlements. So, Israel has been systematically destroying the basis for a viable Palestinian state and this is the declared objective of the Likud and Netanyahu who used to pretend to accept a two-state solution. In the lead up to the last election, he said there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. The expansion of settlements and the wall mean that there cannot be a viable Palestinian state with territorial contiguity. The most that the Palestinians can hope for is Bantustans, a series of enclaves surrounded by Israeli settlements and Israeli military bases.
It’s sad, but I realized a few weeks ago that if you map out the direction of Israel, the hard right vision is essentially Iran.
Setting aside the treatment of the Palestinians, Israel was once known for its cosmopolitan night life and high quality universities. Now, its seen a takeover by the militant, backwards, misogynistic theocrats. And as more and more people get angry about losing their rights, the theocrats get more and more heavy-handed in militarizing their society, both inwardly and outwardly. And as the rest of the world becomes more and more disgusted, the country is becoming more and more isolated.
I still believe in a better way: I want to see a one state solution.
People don’t say this often but I actually appreciate what there is to like about Israel. There’s a lot of cool people and great culture and natural splendor. Same for Palestine too. If we can just apply enough pressure and stop saying “tWo sTaTE soLuTiON! tWO sTAte SoLUtION!!” and just say “Enough. It’s time you recognized that it’s been one country oppressing half its population this whole time, so stop oppressing people and give everyone the same rights.”
I say this because the status quo is already over. I think that it can either become modern South Africa, or Iran. Those are the two most likely paths, and I really want the first one.
Here, here!
You can admire Israel’s natural beauty (which is just deserts really?) and still support a two state solution though
where’d you get that from? another “truthout” article?
only the south of israel is mainly desert.
I mean, I’ve been there. I’m aware of the geography. Not sure what the source has to do with it?
you wrote “You can admire Israel’s natural beauty (which is just deserts really?)”.
if you’ve been there, you’re supposed to know that while the south of israel is mostly deserts, you won’t find any deserts in the rest of it.
What is your definition of “most” exactly? Because mine is “more than half,” which literally matches what I said. It’s almost 2/3rds desert.
i wrote most of the south, not most of israel…
and you wrote “just deserts”…
the center and north don’t have deserts.
there are meadows and forests. in some places there’s snow in the winter.
so again, not “just deserts really”. which is what you wrote.
I think a one state solution is ultimately better. Needs a heavy handed 3rd party arbitrator. But it will work out in the end.
For that to happen Zionism needs to be banned and the indoctrination of children to believe that they are carrying intergenerational trauma in order to justify apartheid and genocide needs to end
You don’t think deserts can be beautiful?
The Zionists and their supporters do not want a two state solution ever. Zionism is a fascist ideology. As such it needs the perpetual doublethink of “we are the greatest and superior to everyone else” like written in the Israel constitution as an Ethnostate for ethnic Jews while also constantly claiming “we are at the brink of extinction and need a brutal government to protect us, from all the other people”.
The language, the demeanor and the actions of the mainstream Israel politics, media and culture are showing this to an extreme.
A one state solution would be the polar opposite, as it would not only rely on acknowledging that ethnic or any other supremacism is always wrong, but also the realization that not everyone is out to get you, if you stop murdering and oppressing people.
Well the Confederate states didn’t want to end slavery, and South Africa’s ruling elites didn’t want to get rid of apartheid.
This is what I want, and I’m going to keep saying that the world should compel them to accept it.
how do you explain rabin and the oslo accords then?
and all the israelis who voted for parties that support the 2 state solution?
Rabin was murdered by a Likud fanatic with ties to the Mossad, after Netanyahu and his fascist friends have called for violence against Rabin, and compared him to Hitler. That was 30 years ago.
Since then Likud and the less far right parties that briefly ruled in between have turned Israel into what it is now.
the conspiracy theory is about shabak, not the mossad and it was spread by radical israeli right-wingers as a conpiracy by, what they consider, a leftist shabak that was trying to delegitimize the right and increase the support for the left.
yigal amir supported kahanists like ben gvir and his ilk, not the likud.
after rabin, there was ehud barak who was voted in, who also tried to reach a 2 state solution with arafat in 2000.
Before 1948, Palestinian Leadership repeatedly advocated for a Unitary Binational State for decades: Palestinian Arab Congress advocating for Unified State 1928, Arab Higher Committee advocating for Unified State 1937, Arab League advocating for Unified State 1948
After the founding of Israel, the Two-State Solutions were utilized to further annex the Palestinian Occupied Territories and enact military control over Palestinians while denying them human and civil rights. This is apartheid. Despite this, both Fatah and Hamas have accepted a Two-State Solution on the 1967 borders, with the two most important factors being the Right of Return of Palestinian refugees and an end to the permanent occupation.
Oslo Accord Sources: MEE, NYT, Haaretz, AJ
History of peace process - The Intercept
How Avi Shlaim moved from two-state solution to one-state solution
‘One state is a game changer’: A conversation with Ilan Pappe
One State Solution, Foreign Affairs