Although imperfect, this proposal overcomes the main drawback of current one-state or two-state solutions, namely the problem of maintaining a democratic environment on behalf of two disparate groups whose aspirations exist. , could provide a path to faster peace. Segregated settlements and incentives for terrorism and war.
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Establishment of a new political and religious situation
Eretz Yisrael (EY) is the Hebrew word for the Land of Israel, and Muslim Falastine (MF) is the Arabic word for Palestine. Judea-Palestine (JP) was designated by Rome after the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132 AD. Israel-Palestine (IP) is the name of the federation that includes the states. These names are just temporary names.
But more important than the name is the political, legal, and religious context for them. There are three main constituent groups in modern-day Israel and Gaza and the West Bank. Each should have its own semi-autonomous, semi-sovereign state, but should be governmentally interconnected as a weak confederation. EY will be an organization for conservative religious Jews with strong ties to the Likud-Israel parliamentary coalition, whose capital is in West Jerusalem. The MF, with its capital in East Jerusalem, is an organization for conservative and pious Arab Muslims. JP is liberal, pluralistic, and tolerant of all religions and lifestyles, including atheists, and its capital is located in a small dot of land in Jerusalem near EY and MF.
The three states are political elements of a weak IP coalition. The capital is located in a small dot of land carved into the area on the border between West and East Jerusalem.
It is important to remember that in the early years of the United States, from 1777 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation established a weak central government.
These three states would essentially be semi-autonomous rather than fully autonomous in that they would have to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an important part of their constitutional framework. The UDHR was created by the United Nations General Assembly 75 years ago.
Of particular importance are Articles 1 (equality of birthright and fraternity), 3 (right to life, liberty and security), 15 (right to nationality) and 18 (right to thought, conscience and religion). Freedom), Article 21 (Regular and Regular). elections), 26 (Education promotes understanding, tolerance and friendship).
When drawing internal boundaries to create three states, security requirements, new transport connections, land exchanges, and the promotion of harmonious settlement need to be taken into account. , a bank that requires a committee of experienced political geographers who know the history of Israel and western Gaza.
How many states are there?
Is this a 3-state solution, a 1-state solution, a 4-state solution, or a 2-state solution with some add-ons? All of the above in nuances.
This is a three-state solution, with states separated by religion and freedom tied together as part of a weak confederation. This new reconfiguration of Israel and Gaza and the West Bank comes in the aftermath of a very brutal and violent war with a long history of mutual hostility. Therefore, while combatants should be separated, those who profess nonviolence and intercultural tolerance should be able to live together in an environment of cooperative coexistence.
The purposes of an inclusive federation are: 1) to act as a tribunal for resolving disputes between regions, 2) to oversee the protection of national borders, 3) to formulate and implement foreign policy that cannot be achieved locally, and 4) to It is about achieving. economies of scale in governance, and 5) addressing externalities.
The federation level is intentionally designed to be weak so that culturally distinct states have maximum autonomy.
To better understand this new configuration, population size estimates for the three states were generated.
Surprisingly, the state with the highest population is JP. Next is ER. The smallest state in terms of population size is MF. However, Muslims are in the majority in MF and JP. It is unclear what future political implications this will have.
guarantee the survival of the eternal Jewish state
Its goal is to weaken the federal central government in terms of control over local lifestyles in order to minimize its impact on local cultural and religious foundations, and at the same time strengthen the local militaristic and militant sides. It is about putting in place preventive interventions. individual and collective behavior.
A person must be able to live according to the norms prescribed by his religion or philosophy, but peacefully and respectfully. States should be able to limit the types of food and clothing available and what people can and cannot do on holy days, but they should not be able to attack neighbors who do things differently. And let residents vote (move) with their feet if they wish.
In addition to the UDHR, you must also comply with Singapore’s Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, which defines the following as punishable offences:
“Forcing force or violence on the basis of religion or against a religious group or its members; Inciting feelings of hostility, hatred, malice, or hostility toward a religious group; Insulting a religion or To hurt feelings.”
In order to ensure the preservation of the Jewish state of Eretz Yisroel and the Muslim state of Filastine, the Torah was recognized as the basis of the laws and regulations of the state of Eretz Yisrael, Halacha law was adjudicated in Batei Din courts, and the Koran will be recognized as law. It is the basis of Islamic law, and Sharia law is judged in courts. These two states must be able to maintain their religious and cultural character. However, the supreme law of the land will be based on the UDHR and MRHA. And halachah law and sharia law come next.
As an additional layer of protection in the early days of this new federation, each state should be linked with an allied protectorate. The midfielder could be linked with Jordan, Qatar and Ireland (or all three). In the case of EY, the countries of protection are Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia (or all three). For JP, this would be Norway, Germany, or France (or all three). For intellectual property, consider the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Religious practices and cultural guarantees
Local preferences in religion and culture must be preserved now and in the future. The state and federal constitutions will incorporate the principle that no Muslim population growth or military acquisitions will be allowed in order to weaken Jewish political power and cultural dominance in EY. It will be. No amount of Jewish population growth and military acquisitions will be allowed to weaken the power and cultural superiority of Muslims in the MF. And no matter how disparate demographics and religion there are in JP, it will not be possible to encourage the introduction of a state religion.
One way to do this is to limit voting to only specified states. For example, a conservative pious Muslim may choose to live in EY or JP due to its proximity to vacation facilities or holy sites, but they can only vote in MF. Similarly, conservative religious Jews may choose to live in MF or JP, but can only vote in EY.
How to deal with Jewish settlers in the West Bank
One solution is to limit the right to vote on the EY, weakening the settlers’ power, while allowing them residential access to places with Jewish holy sites that are not Islamic holy sites. . Where there are Jewish and Islamic holy sites (such as the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron), creating shared space and access arrangements that take tradition and negotiation into account and utilize Hashemite design and management support. need to. Kingdom of Jordan.
The settlers should return to the MF all land acquired through the use of force. Legally acquired settler-inhabited land in the West Bank would have to be exchanged for MF in the same quantity and quality elsewhere in Israel. MF requires a land connection from Gaza to the West Bank. That highway and land could become part of the land transferred to MF as settler land.
Governance decisions at the federation level
Governance at the federation level is more complex to maintain inclusiveness, but it is also weaker. Here’s one suggestion.
Each state elects or proposes two representatives to become an executive committee to govern as a group, but only by unanimous consent (also known as consensus decision-making). This means that each of the six members of the Governing Executive Committee has veto power. Over time, the Executive Committee may change how it is constituted and how the federation is governed, perhaps replacing the Executive Committee with the National Assembly.
Law of return and population density
There are two Acts of Return: the Jewish Act of Return and the Palestinian Act of Return.
Estimates of population size and density show what would happen if Jews around the world, excluding the occupied territories, took full advantage of their current right of return to Israel.
Estimates were also made of the population size and density of related Arab Muslims who lived in pre-1948 Palestine and who took full advantage of the right of return. Returnees are limited to Muslim Philistines, and the land area of Gaza plus the West Bank is used as a proxy for Muslim Philistine land area.
In 1948 or 1967, the ability to easily and safely construct high-density environments with very tall buildings was limited. However, it can now be done relatively easily and safely. In 2024, the world’s tallest building will be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The height is 2,717 feet.
However, there is a need for anti-radicalization preconditions that may prevent migration from outside the IP to MF, JP, or EY. The condition is that it has no previous organization or membership in ISIS, Hamas, or Islamic Jihad. All returnees must sign a formal agreement to the principles of the UDHR and MRHA, and failure to comply with these rules will result in deportation from anywhere in the IP region.
conclusion
This vision is an attempt to give each party to this conflict what they want. That is, a thoroughly conservative religious Jewish and Arab-Muslim state and a liberal pluralistic state for Jews, Muslims, people of other religions, atheists, and different lifestyles. It is a state.
The biggest problem is dealing with the Law of Return and eliminating the risk of terrorism against Israel by extremist Palestinians and the risk of settler terrorism against Palestinians. New construction techniques suggest that once the Return Act is fully met, there is no need for limits on density or the size of immigration.
Having a federated and state constitution based on human rights, religious tolerance, and non-violence, as essentially stated in the UDHR and MDRA, makes this tri-state arrangement democratic and promotes religious and cultural This is an important element in making it sustainable over the long term while accepting differences. .
Mr. Balkin is a professor emeritus at Roosevelt University and a member of the Chicago Political Economy Group. His research focuses on violence prevention, international development, entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation. Email: sbalkin@roosevelt.edu
