'No Palestine, catastrophe for Israel'

[cali]

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK
Israel will face a "catastrophe" unless it revives the Mideast peace process and allows the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, former US president Jimmy Carter said Monday.

"If we look toward a one-state solution, which seems to be the trend - I hope not inexorable - it would be a catastrophe for Israel, because there would be only three options in that case," Carter said.

Those would be to expel large numbers of Palestinians, deprive the Palestinians of equal voting rights, or to give them equal voting rights and therefore the majority, he said. "And you would no longer have a Jewish state," Carter predicted.

"The basic decisions would be made by the Palestinians, who would almost very likely vote in a bloc, whereas you would have some sharp divisions among the Israelis, because the Israelis always have different points of view," he said.
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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232643757420&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Chulanowa]

1. Heaven forbid we let Arabs have equal voting rights

At some point, Israel's going to face this same question whether it's two states, one state, or the current "borderless state vs. stateless borders" situation.

[Vegasaurus]

2. Israel will not face that question

because it is not going to be a single state, not without a big war to force the issue (that they would have to lose).

They will continue with "borderless", until the situation on the ground changes.

[azurnoir]

5. Yeah Israel would lose just like recently huh?

The rest of the world would be real mad, you have said yourself there would be a bloodbath on more than one occasion your just careful to not mention who's blood, recent events have filled in that blank.

[Chulanowa]

15. There are these people that live in Israel... they're called Israeli Arabs

Demographically speaking, they will likely be a majority in the nation by 2050, and a voting majority a few years after.

The headless chicken fearful squawking over how we can't let there be a single state because the Palestinian Arabs would get to vote is a rather silly argument, in that light. An Arab majority is an inevitability for Israel, and a bunch of Arabs - who the otherwise sagacious President Carter seems to think have a hive mind mentality - will be voting. best figure out how to handle it now than freak out over it later.

[oberliner]

3. Arabs do have equal voting rights

Currently, in Israel, everyone has equal voting rights.

[Vegasaurus]

4. Facts do get in the way of people's political agendas, don't they? nt

[azurnoir]

6. Stop playing coy

in the event of a one state solution the Arabs of the West Bank would also be israeli Arabs and that is why everytime it is mentioned someone will pop up mentioning "bloodbath" and why it will never happen.

[cali]

7. How do you see it happening peacefully?

What's the roadmap to a one state solution when it's opposed nearly universally in Israel and by substantial margins in the WB and Gaza?

[azurnoir]

9. To be honest IMO

nothing will happen not a one or a two state solution, every indication is that the Israeli government is determined to keep things as they are with growing settlements indefinitely. We keep hearing about disaster for Israel but really when you weigh it out how much real harm has come to Israel, especially now with the West Bank Palestinians living in virtual constant martial law, short of alot of bad PR?

[cali]

10. I agree that the situation is dire re any solution and

that the Palestinians are the ones who suffer because of it.

[oberliner]

8. Was responding to this statement

"At some point, Israel's going to face this same question whether it's two states, one state, or the current "borderless state vs. stateless borders" situation."

Israeli Arabs have full voting rights now and would have the same under a two-state solution.

[azurnoir]

11. If you read the article

the statement was in responce to a one state solution not Israel as it is today.

[Chulanowa]

14. Sort of

Everyone can vote. But that right is by no means protected by law. Remember, the "no constitution" thing? There's also the little fact of Arab parties getting disenfranchised, several Jewish parties not allowing Arabs among their number, so on and so forth.

After all, if everyone had "equal voting rights" then I'm not sure why everyoine is so worried about the Arabs of Israel acquiring them. I see the argument often enough that it seems to be a concern.

[aranthus]

12. Carter's right about the three bad choices.

Although I don't think any of those choices would be good for the Palestinians either. There are two peoples, each with a right to a state. Hamas has unfortunately won this round. It still exists as the government of Gaza, and it has damaged the peace process. The way for Israel and the Palestinians to win is to re-start the process and finish the deal. A good first step would be for Israel to state that they were stopping settlement construction (and mean it).

[Vegasaurus]

13. I agree

and simultaneously, the militants must stop terrorism and anti-semitic indoctrination through media and rhetoric.

Those concessions, on each side, could jumpstart the peace process immediately.