one state

Palestinians enter the main checkpoint separating Bethlehem and Jerusalem. (Activestills.org)

Alternative peace initiative comes under fire for ‘normalization’

Pressure from both Palestinian activists and right-wing Israelis has put the spotlight on a conference that will present a new model for peace and coexistence. That is, if it ever happens in the first place. A launch event for an alternative Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative, slated to take place next week in the West Bank, is…

By Haggai Matar June 4, 2015

PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat in 1996. (UN Photo/Evan Schneider)

My afternoon with Yasser Arafat

Ten years after Arafat’s death, an Arab citizen of Israel reflects on a solidarity visit to the father of Palestinian nationalism in his besieged Ramallah compound. By Seraj Assi Ten years ago, on November 11, 2004, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in mysterious circumstances in Paris. Theories ranged from natural causes to assassination. The French, Russian…

By +972 Magazine November 12, 2014

One state (noaman/CC BY NC ND 2.0)

One state: Stop the hysteria and start thinking

By Lisa Goldman and Dahlia Scheindlin (This article has been updated. See the addendum below.) In a recent New York Times op-ed, a prominent American academic posits that the time for implementing a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is now past. Ian Lustick, a professor of comparative politics at University of Pennsylvania, argues that…

By Dahlia Scheindlin October 2, 2013

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[Illustrative photo by Shutterstock.com]

Two state vs. one state debate is a waste of time, political energy

Your favorite pastime is a part of the occupation. Arguably the most popular political debate on Israel/Palestine is the one taking place between supporters of the two-state solution and those who support a one-state idea. A piece by Professor Ian Lustick in the New York Times won a lot of attention recently, and it’s not…

By Noam Sheizaf September 20, 2013

Leader of the National Religious Party ("Jewish Home") Naftali Bennett (photo: Yotam Ronen / activestills.org)

One by one, Israel’s coalition members abandon two-state rhetoric

More and more, members of Israel’s ruling parties are matching their public statements to the reality they are implementing every minute on the ground: Israel’s opposition to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Economy Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett is the latest MK to join a…

By Mairav Zonszein June 17, 2013

The separation wall in Walajah (Photo: Haggai Matar)

Poll: 23% of Jewish Israelis support apartheid, 13% support status quo

Survey finds that majority of Jewish Israelis think the country should unilaterally determine its borders along the route of the West Bank separation barrier. One-third support either annexing the West Bank without giving Palestinians civil rights, or perpetuating the status quo — both of which are apartheid. According to a poll* released Sunday, a majority…

By Mairav Zonszein April 14, 2013

Israel’s major parties support a non-democratic one-state solution

No matter what their beliefs about Palestinians’ aims and desires, the policy of Israel’s leaders does not accord with their stated support for a two-state solution or for a democratic and Jewish state. Following up on my post regarding the two-state solution (and some of the comments to that post), I would like to put…

By Roi Maor January 5, 2013

The Wall. (Activestills)

Demystifying one-state, acknowledging facts

The question is no longer about whether one state should be considered, as there is only one state which governs over two people. The question is which kind of state it will be: the left or the right-wing version. The protests a few weeks ago in the West Bank against Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, once the…

By Dahlia Scheindlin October 9, 2012

On bigotry and solidarity

Greta Berlin’s anti-Semitic tweet was but one in a series of comments she has made, enabling many of her critics to discredit the entire Free Gaza Movement. As activists, it is our job to make sure one bigotry can never be used to justify another. By Tom Pessah An Iranian American acquaintance once explained to…

By +972 Magazine October 7, 2012

Bloggingheads: The U.S. election and the fate of Israel-Palestine

Mitt Romney sparked controversy during his visit to Jerusalem last week, thanks to a series of comments he made about Jews and Palestinians. Naturally, his comments about Palestinian culture being inferior to Jewish culture, and God’s unfavorable bias against Palestinians, angered many Palestinians, who are worried that Romney could win the election. However, does that make…

By Aziz Abu Sarah August 7, 2012

The one-state reality vs. the two-state idea

This post was originally published on Peter Beinart’s Open Zion blog (@ The Daily Beast), as part of a debate regarding the fate of the two-state solution. This piece by Jerry Haber, on the same issue, is worth reading as well. And if you have the stomach for it, here is rightwing MK Danny Danon (Likud),…

By Noam Sheizaf May 17, 2012

J Street third annual conference marks shift to the right

By Moriel Rothman I have attended all three J Street conferences since the organization formed in 2008 with the dual objectives of pushing the US government to take an active role in bringing about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and changing the discourse within the mainstream American Jewish community to one that is…

By +972 Magazine March 28, 2012

AmiKaufman, Amik

A waste of a summit, a waste of a lobby

I gotta hand it to Bibi. Seriously, the guy’s a magician. Today, in what has been coined the most important summit between Netanyahu and Obama since they both took office, the most important issue will not be discussed. Instead of talking about how to end a 45-year-old unnecessary occupation, these dimwits are going to discuss…

By Ami Kaufman March 4, 2012