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INTERNATIONAL

Two state solution does not depend on words

  • 08 July 2014
The recent controversy about whether the Australian government regards East Jerusalem as Occupied, occupied, or disputed, at least made it clear that the Australian government still supports the ‘two state solution’. Now is the time to do something positive to bring the second state into existence. Mahmoud Abbas has announced that the Palestinian unity government has begun the process that will lead to Parliamentary and Presidential elections before the end of this year. 

The US and Israel should welcome the opportunity that Palestinian elections will preaffsent. Instead of pausing, the US government should redouble its efforts. As is clear from their efforts to join UN agencies and other international bodies, the Palestinians want international recognition of their state. Under US law, the President by himself, without needing the concurrence of Congress, has power recognise a foreign state. President Obama should announce that as soon as certain reasonable conditions are met the US will recognise a state of Palestine and sponsor its admission to the United Nations. Australia and other countries should urge the President to make this offer and should make the same offer themselves. The conditions should be such as to encourage the Palestinians to do what is needed to give Israel a reasonable assurance of security, in the hope that the remaining points of difference would then be easier to resolve. 

What should the conditions be? First, that the proposed elections actually take place. Second, that the newly-elected government undertake to abide by the obligations that international law imposes on all states equally, including the obligation not to make attacks on other recognised states, including explicitly Israel. Third, that the new government produce a credible plan (credible in the judgment of the countries making the offer) for achieving control over its territory; for this they may require external assistance. No other conditions should be imposed. The Palestinians should not be asked to affirm that Israel is a Jewish state. 

The offer needs to be made as soon as possible. If the US simply pauses, an important opportunity will be lost. An offer made before the elections would encourage the emergence of candidates in favour of meeting the conditions. If there is no hope of recognition on reasonable terms the elections will be dominated by hard-liners. The next few months are critical.

Once Palestine is recognised as a state and has been admitted to the United Nations as a full member, negotiations between
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