March 4, 2007
Denver Post, Compass Column -- Op-Ed, April 24, 2004
The settling of America was in many ways a model for European Jewish settlement, beginning in the late 1800s, of historic Palestine. In both cases, immigrants were looking for opportunities and a refuge from religious persecution and discrimination in Europe.
As in America, Jewish settlers coming to historic Palestine discovered an indigenous population not entirely thrilled with the idea of foreigners settling on their land.
I believe America today can serve as a model for what Israel can become and, hopefully, put an end to one of the most intractable conflicts in modern history.
While recent Middle East peace efforts have focused on how to get Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza in order to create a "two-state solution" - one Jewish state and one Palestinian Christian-Muslim state - why not do as it was done in America and have one state with guaranteed rights and liberties for all citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender?
Moreover, recent developments in the Middle East - in addition to President Bush acting like a surrogate mother, negotiating on behalf of Palestinians and blessing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to leave illegal settlement blocks in the West Bank intact - are making a viable two-state solution untenable.
When Israel launched its conquest of the West Bank and Gaza in June 1967, the Israeli government quickly began bringing Jewish settlers to live on the freshly confiscated Palestinian lands.
I realize some might say that Israel was protecting itself when it invaded those Palestinian territories. However, according to hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin: "The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him" (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 20, 1982).
Besides, if conquering the West Bank and Gaza was for security reasons, why bring civilian Jewish settlers and plant them in the middle of hostile territory? Was the purpose of conquering that territory truly for self-defense and not colonization?
Today, Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories number more than 250,000. Forcing them to resettle in Israel proper as part of a peace agreement creating a two-state solution would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Why not then let them stay where they are and make the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza full citizens of Israel, with the same rights, liberties and responsibilities as Israel's Jewish citizens?
Some would argue that this would be a threat to Israel's Jewish character because you would be introducing all these non-Jews into the social fabric.
In that case, why is Israel so reluctant to relinquish its iron-fisted control over those non-Jews and their resources? Either make them full citizens and bring them into the fold or, as Moses said, "Let my people go."
It seems that Israel wants to have it both ways: control and tax the Palestinians, their land and water without giving them services or civil rights.
Another complicating factor for a two-state solution is the separation wall Israel is building inside the West Bank. Of course, Israel claims this is to keep suicide bombers out of Israel.
If that is truly the intention, why not build the wall along the border of the West Bank, not miles deep into Palestinian territory where it is dividing Palestinian towns and families down the middle while separating Palestinian farmers from their orchards, livelihoods and water resources?
Clearly, security is the pretext Israel uses for illegally confiscating even more Palestinian land and resources with this wall, just as it used security as the pretext to take over the West Bank and Gaza in 1967.
Israel will take everything to the east, north, west and south of the separation wall. What's left will be nothing but a patch of territory too disjointed to be a viable Palestinian state.
If we truly want to create a model for freedom and democracy in the Middle East, we should be encouraging a one-state solution in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza where Jews, Christians, Muslims and everyone else have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities.
Ibrahim Kazerooni was a dissident in his native Iraq for decades and fled in 1974 after being repeatedly imprisoned and tortured by the Baathist regime for his beliefs. He is now imam of the Islamic Center of Ahl Al-Beit in Denver.
Source: Denver Post - Compass