War between Israel and Palestine have been going on since without any realistic resolutions to the conflict. It's obvious that earlier decisions are not working. If Israel and Palestine cannot come to a mutual resolution, I think that a third party must step in and lay down the framework of future in which both can co-exist. Up until the 19th century the land where Palestine is located lived in peace. In the 19th century Palestine was inhabited by a multicultural population (86% Muslim, 10% Christian, and 4% Jewish). The late 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries was when the conflict between the Jews and Arabs began. Both were eager to carve out a homeland for themselves. After WWI and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire (1917) at the hands of the British, the Balfour Declaration was born. This supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and protected the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities. The agreement between Chaim Weizmann (World Zionist Organization) and Faisal seemed at first to be a step in the right direction. But following the Franco-Syrian war (1920), Amin al-Husseini, who was the head of the Palestine Arab national movement, declared the Jews sole enemy of Palestine. Violence between the two continued until WWII. In 1947 the United Nations, who took over the issue from the British, adopted Resolution 181(Future Government of Palestine). This resolution would terminate the British Mandate (by August 1948) and implement a plan to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The Jews accepted this plan but the Arabs immediately rejected it. On May 14, 1948, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed. Shortly after, the Arab countries declared war on the newly formed state of Israel beginning the Arab--Israeli War. This war brought about the
1949 Armistice Agreements which established boundary lines between the two combatants. Over the next 50 years things got worse between the two. After years of military occupation, repression, confiscation of land, the rise of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), and the Intifada (1987-1993), the Oslo Accords took place. The Accords were the first direct, face-to-face agreement between Israel and the PLO where the future of the two parties would be agreed upon. In 1995 the Accords suffered a major setback when Ytzhak Rabin (Israel Prime Minister and signer of Oslo Accords) was assassinated. This war has been going on up until present day without any relief in sight. After the Oslo Accords failed, a second Intifada (2000) broke out and intensified Israeli-Palestinian violence has been going on until present day.
There are those that favor a "1-state solution". With this solution either side must evict the other population so that they can re-establish their control over the entire territory. The borders would be erased and put Israelis and Palestinians together. This would mean more fighting and violence. Arabs would eventually outnumber the Jews and is a sure recipe for disaster. There is also the Bi-National solution. This would mean two major nationalities would compete against each other for political power. This differs from a "1-state solution" because there would be no side facing expulsion or ethnic cleansing. Israel wouldn't go for this because its politics and national identity would be compromised.
The "2-state solution" makes the most sense. This solution allows both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own independent states and rule their countries differently. It's the only solution that makes sense and creates the most viable option to bring long term peace. For the Palestinians, the "2-state solution" means a return to the pre-1967 borders when the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were free of settlers and military occupation. For the Israelis, they would have a legit homeland and be able to have a national identity. They would be free to practice their political and cultural views. It would put an end to the pointless and endless fighting and violence.
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