Israel/Palestine

Saturday fun … for some — listening to Jeffry Sachs go counter-paradigm on Israel/Palestine. I’m enjoying this channel “Dialogue Works” .

Caveats

I am not professionally into foreign affair politics, but my late father, Murray Smith, was deeply concerned with politics his whole life, and I received a lot of wisdom. However, all the flaws in thinking here in writing are my own.

Two States is Possible?

I’d say politically calling for a Two State solution is achievable — at the political level.

On the ground, it is an abomination.

Here were my comments responding to Dr Sachs:

Sachs is “off message”??? Case for One State is widespread. It’s called democracy PLUS recognizing what is “Palestine” today is a bunch of dirt islands of rubble (no disrespect to their villages, just a caricature, but it makes the point). I’ve heard several guests on Dialogue Works now advocate one-state and two-state. Which is to say the discoursed of otherwise all well-meaning people is all over the place. Such a mess.
      My Dad (RIP) worked in Haifa for peace, had plenty of contacts in Israeli politics on all sides, the consensus there, among the peace groups, was One State. Main arguments being greater democracy and justice. But Sachs is right the appetite at the political executive for One State is just not there yet. The Likudniks can talk both solutions, whenever it suits, to either attack or procrastinate, just to avoid doing anything for justice for the dispossessed.

Jeffrey then gave his justification for Two States. It is based on pragmatism,. He says One State is logical and has merit, but is not pragmatic, because no one in power wants a One State solution. I say, too bad for those in power, we need to get rid of them.

I posted this comment:

@5:40 on second thoughts, I think Sach’s proposal is ok, first recognize a Palestinian state. That’d be on paper though. Sooner or later it has to be a single united state — because that affords greater democracy and justice for all (by any reasonable pragmatic account). Palestinian territory currently given to them would not be just, would not be democracy as people like to know it.

Then made a weak, but I think fair, attempt at realpolitik justification:

In New Zealand we took hundreds of years to properly recognize we are essentially Two States (the Crown and the Māori people) but One Country. Yet we have a One State solution. This is how to unite two-states into one. It is not perfect for the Māori people (my people) but is a good work-in-progress.

Lastly, for now:

It took a century too, to gain a semblance of anti-racism in NZ society where the Treaty of Waitangi could be adhered to in the intended original spirit of agreement on the side of the Māori people, who were duped by the British Crown. Which is to say, Palestinians and Israeli’s are decades away from peace. You have to first get rid of ethnic hatred and racism. There is no spiritual basis for peace in the region otherwise. The right-wingers actively promote the racism, and have to be gotten rid of, have to be thrown out of power by the citizenry. This’ll take time. Political egg-heads cannot just provide a map and technocrat solutions for this submitted via whitepapers and FA briefings.