In his Urbi et Orbi address on Christmas Day
2017, Pope Francis mentioned the possibility of a “two state solution” for the
Holy Land. We think this might be
something of a problem, if only because what one person means by that term
never seems to mesh exactly with what another means. And that creates a problem if you’re trying
to develop a solution instead of pushing an agenda. . . .
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| Abraham and Sarah |
We have a
suggestion that doesn’t dismiss the two-state solution (however construed) out
of hand. Instead, it goes beyond it, and
proposes something that no one seems to have thought much about. We call it, “the
Abraham Federation.” As we’ve
described it on the CESJ website (some details might need a bit of editing),
Arabs and Jews have a point of unity both can
understand: Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch.
Arabs trace their ancestry to Abraham through Ishmael,
whom he fathered through his wife’s servant Hagar. Jews trace their bloodlines
to Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, who, according to the
Bible, God later renamed Israel. The name “Abraham” literally means “father of
many nations.” Having once separated the descendants of Ishmael from the
children of Israel, 3,800 years later, Abraham could fulfill the biblical
prophecy not only of their unification but also of the eventual unification and
harmony of all nations and peoples.
Symbols of the past often serve as useful symbols for
charting the future. A federation of the spiritual and blood descendants of
Abraham could offer a bold political framework for taking small steps in a new
direction. Thus, rather appropriately, the new nation could be named the
“Abraham Federation.”
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| Yes, there are good Samaritans — and others. |
With this philosophical common thread, the question is:
Where do we start? The answer is: In the historic region of Judea and Samaria
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where Arab and Jewish settlements exist today
under Israeli military control.
Although some Arabs would dispute the legitimacy of all
Israeli-occupied territory, the Israeli military has the power to maintain law
and order over all areas it now patrols. Despite the intifada and mounting
international pressures on Israel, this reality is unlikely to change in the
foreseeable future. On the other hand, the easy diffusion of modern military
technology, including weapons of mass destruction among Arab guerrillas and
their allies, makes a military status
quo uneasy at best.
The main obstacle to peace, in this author’s view, is
not the Israeli military or the deep-seated Holocaust fears which justify in
the minds of most Israelis the continued Israeli military presence on the land
where the Abraham Federation could be created. Rather, the deeper issue is
whether a more just society can be conceived, which will eventually allow the
Israeli military presence to be phased out and replaced by US and international
security forces during the transition to a viable Abraham Federation at peace
with all its neighbors, including Israel.
Some occupied territory under Israeli control is now
open to negotiation for a new status at least as a foothold for a more
comprehensive, longer-term strategy in the future for the entire Middle East.
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| Jerusalem: a city holy to the Abrahamic faiths. |
The biblical region of Judea and Samaria the West Bank
(with extensions in Gaza and other areas covered by the Oslo Agreement) could
provide that foothold. It includes Bethlehem, Hebron and the surrounding
mountain region west of the Jordan River. It also encompasses Jerusalem, which
deserves special handling, perhaps serving in the transition period as the
capital of the new nation as well as present Israel. Jerusalem could even be
designated by the UN as a special “global capital,” to be administered by
spiritual leaders of all faiths and policed by security guards under the
authority of the Security Council of the UN.
The proposed strategy would go beyond the demeaning
“autonomy” proposals of the Israeli Likud Party. It would be less threatening
to Jewish settlers than the Labor Party’s “land-for-peace” proposals. And it
would offer a significantly more just future for all Palestinians than what
they are now demanding.
If a new beginning can be made in the West Bank and
Gaza, with a free transit corridor linking the two areas, a more comprehensive
regional approach could later be negotiated, based on the success of the
Abraham Federation model.
Tomorrow we’ll go
over some of the specifics. For the
whole picture, of course, just follow the link above.
#30#
