Will there be a Palestinian state?

Has there ever been a Palestinian state?

No. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the British administered the area, which was then populated by less than 15,000 Jews and several hundred thousand Arabs. In response to European pogroms, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, which promised the Jews of the world a homeland there. But Britain also promised the local Arabs self-rule. Those promises left both peoples with a claim on the same land.

How did Israel become a state?

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After the Holocaust, Europe’s surviving Jews fled to Palestine to redeem the British promise of a homeland. The British had already carved out a portion of the territory to create the nation of Jordan, to give Arabs self-rule. But as Jews continued to arrive and stake their claim on the remaining Mandate of Palestine, the Arabs there revolted, and the British were unable to maintain order. The United Nations intervened in 1947 by drawing up a partition plan to create an Israeli and a Palestinian state. But the surrounding Arab nations objected to any land going toward the creation of Israel. In 1948, with the support of the U.N., Israel declared independence.

How did the Arab world react?

Egypt and Jordan declared war the next day, backed by forces from Lebanon and Syria. But with arms provided by the United States, the fledgling state won. The war changed the boundaries in the region again: Israel expanded its borders slightly, while Egypt took over the Gaza Strip, and Jordan moved into the West Bank.

Did Israel’s victory secure its borders?

No. Despite their initial defeat, the Arab nations refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist and committed themselves to wiping it off the map. In 1967, Egypt blockaded Israel and massed its army across the Sinai peninsula, threatening an invasion. Israel struck preemptively, and through its victories on the battlefield, occupied the entire Sinai peninsula, the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights. The Sinai was later returned to Egypt.

Why has the occupation lasted so long?

There are many reasons. Israel argues that it needs the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights to protect itself against attack by the large, hostile neighbors that surround it. Until recently, Palestinian leaders were still openly committed to eradicating Israel and expelling the Jews. Some Palestinian organizations, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have launched attacks from the territories, blowing up hundreds of Israeli civilians in discos, restaurants, and streets. Zionism is another factor: Thousands of Jews have settled in the occupied territories, in defiance of U.N. resolutions, claiming that the land was given to Jews back in biblical times. Critics say Israel likes having the West Bank as a source of cheap Palestinian labor and as a market for its goods.

Are the Israeli settlements permanent?

The settlement movement has waxed and waned since the 1970s, depending on whether hawks or doves control the Knesset. The hawkish current prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is an unabashed advocate of Israeli settlements, even though-or perhaps because-they severely complicate possibilities for Palestinian autonomy. Too much bad blood exists for Israeli settlers and Palestinians to live together, so a Palestinian state would have to either expel the settlers or draw its borders around them.

Has any peace proposal

addressed the settlement issue?

Yes. Last year, negotiations with President Clinton at Camp David produced a wide-ranging peace plan. The Palestinians would get self-rule in about 95 percent of the occupied land, though they would not be allowed to have their own military force. The remaining 5 percent would be preserved for Israeli settlers already there. Jerusalem would be divided and serve as the capital of both countries.

Why wasn’t the plan adopted?

Negotiations broke down over the issue of Palestinian refugees. Most Arabs fled Israel during the 1967 war, either expelled by Israelis or encouraged to leave by Arab countries who promised a quick victory and a triumphant return. When the Arabs lost the war, those Palestinians became refugees in camps in Jordan and Lebanon. At Camp David, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat insisted that they and their descendants—2 million in all—be allowed to return not to the territories but to Israel. That would mean Israel would no longer be a Jewish state, but would be nearly half Arab.

Can the plan be revived?

There’s renewed hope. In a bid to enlist Arab support in the war on terrorism, Bush has called for new negotiations toward a Palestinian state—a radical departure from decades of U.S. policy. Powell said this week that the U.S. will push for immediate implementation of the Mitchell Report. The report, which came out in June, reproves both the Israeli army for killing unarmed civilians and the Palestinian Authority for failing to control militant extremists. It advocates a halt to the settlement program and a resumption of dialogue. So far, implementation has been delayed because the report calls for a week without violence before talks resume, and sporadic violence continues. But determined U.S. diplomacy could force both sides back to the table, especially in the optimistic climate that may accompany U.S. military victory in Afghanistan. Powell said this week that the U.S. would press both sides to do what is necessary. “We have a vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognized borders,” he said.

Life under occupation