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EDIT TO ADD: Thread bumped. Please see post #849.
Too often threads on the historic Israeli-Palestinian dispute veer off on tangents. Occasionally, those tangents lead to extreme positions.
As an exercise, and a challenging one, members should introduce suggestions that they believe could contribute or enhance a peaceful outcome of the historic dispute. It should be assumed that the dispute is not irreconcilable, even if some elements e.g., Hamas, have irreconcilable demands.
Proposed solutions should accommodate the core needs of both the Israelis and Palestinians. That mutual accommodation is the lowest common denominator of any successful diplomacy. Core needs, of course, are far more limited than maximum demands. Proposed solutions could be modest e.g., intended to gradually create a framework for diplomatic success, or large-scale e.g., intended to introduce an outline of what could amount to a final settlement.
Hopefully, such an exercise can lead to more focused debate and discussion on the historic dispute and avoid some of the pitfalls of earlier threads.
Assumptions:
• The historic dispute is not irreconcilable.
• Over time an accommodation could be feasible.
Constraints:
To be valid, the approach would need to address the core needs of both peoples (Israelis and Palestinians). Those core needs are:
• Land for a possible state for Palestinians.
• Security for Israel.
Therefore, approaches that do not address the core needs of both peoples are off the table. Some examples of such approaches would include:
• Perpetuation of the status quo: Would not address the Palestinians’ core need.
• Any single-state solution: Would entail the elimination of Israel and undermine its core needs.
• A “right of return” of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel: Would entail the elimination of Israel via demographic change and undermine its core needs.
Too often threads on the historic Israeli-Palestinian dispute veer off on tangents. Occasionally, those tangents lead to extreme positions.
As an exercise, and a challenging one, members should introduce suggestions that they believe could contribute or enhance a peaceful outcome of the historic dispute. It should be assumed that the dispute is not irreconcilable, even if some elements e.g., Hamas, have irreconcilable demands.
Proposed solutions should accommodate the core needs of both the Israelis and Palestinians. That mutual accommodation is the lowest common denominator of any successful diplomacy. Core needs, of course, are far more limited than maximum demands. Proposed solutions could be modest e.g., intended to gradually create a framework for diplomatic success, or large-scale e.g., intended to introduce an outline of what could amount to a final settlement.
Hopefully, such an exercise can lead to more focused debate and discussion on the historic dispute and avoid some of the pitfalls of earlier threads.
Assumptions:
• The historic dispute is not irreconcilable.
• Over time an accommodation could be feasible.
Constraints:
To be valid, the approach would need to address the core needs of both peoples (Israelis and Palestinians). Those core needs are:
• Land for a possible state for Palestinians.
• Security for Israel.
Therefore, approaches that do not address the core needs of both peoples are off the table. Some examples of such approaches would include:
• Perpetuation of the status quo: Would not address the Palestinians’ core need.
• Any single-state solution: Would entail the elimination of Israel and undermine its core needs.
• A “right of return” of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel: Would entail the elimination of Israel via demographic change and undermine its core needs.
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