To the editor:
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Columbia University hosted Lev Luis Grinberg, a professor at Ben-Gurion University, to discuss his new book and his perception on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was reported in Spectator in “Grinberg visits Columbia to discuss Israel and Palestine” (Oct. 7, 2009). Recently, the debate on how best to solve the Palestinian-Israeli “dispute,” as Professor Grinberg refers to it, has been popular across this campus. However, Professor Grinberg’s proposal, a type of “three-state solution,” is highly flawed.
Professor Grinberg argued that the two proposed solutions to the current Israeli-Palestinian dispute are impossible to reconcile. Instead, he merged the weaknesses of each so as to reach an ultimately deficient conclusion. His proposed “three-state solution” is broken down into regions: Israel, Palestine, and a Union State.
Yet a Union State proposal fails to address the biggest concern of the one-state solution—proportion in government representation. If governmental positions are proportional to population, one nation will assume control and drive out the other. Alternatively, similar to the situation in Lebanon, dividing the representation into arbitrary numbered percentages will also fail. If such a state were administered by tertiary actors, such as the U.N. or the U.S., a vacuum of autonomy would exist with no self-governance for Israelis or Palestinians.
An alternative prospective is dividing the current Disputed Territories and allowing for separated Palestinian sovereignty between Hamas and Fatah. Since Gaza and the West Bank are socially and politically different, it is more effective to reframe professor Grinberg’s solution of three states to a proposal for an Israeli state and two separate Palestinian states. In dividing each group into respective regions, all three would enjoy full and equal independence and hopefully a lasting peace.
Ron Shapiro, GS/JTS ’13
Oct. 7, 2009
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting and substantial. If your comments are excessively self-promotional or obnoxious you will be banned from commenting. Consult the comment FAQ and legal terms.