By: Fábio Bosco
The two-state solution consists of the formation of a mini Palestinian state alongside the already existing racist state of Israel. The objective of this “solution” is to legitimize the racist State of Israel and its policy of apartheid and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, which it has developed over the last 75 years.
This “solution” does not restore the rights of the Palestinian people to their lands. It only legalizes the theft of these lands by the State of Israel. Moreover, even those who claim to advocate this “solution” have not, to date, guaranteed the formation of a Palestinian state.
Unfulfilled Promises of a Solution that Does Not Solve Anything
The formation of a Palestinian state was promised by imperialism on two occasions. The first time was in 1947, on the occasion of the vote on the partition of Palestine by the United Nations (UN), with the support of the two superpowers of the time, the United States and the Soviet Union.
The second was in 1993, when the Oslo Accords were signed, in which the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) recognized the State of Israel on 78% of Palestinian lands and, in exchange, received a plan for the formation of a Palestinian mini-state. On both occasions the promise of a Palestinian state was not fulfilled.
If the advance of the Palestinian struggle has forced imperialism to accept a Palestinian mini-state, this would not be a solution either, since it does not guarantee the right of return of the six million Palestinian refugees, nor does it change the racist character of the State of Israel, which will continue to oppress Palestinians.
Which State? Is it Possible to Democratize Israel?
Among the supporters of the Palestinian cause, there is a movement advocating the formation of “One Democratic State” (ODS).
Most of the supporters of this proposal understand that the advance of Israeli colonization has made the “two-state solution” unfeasible.
Many of them also understand that it is impossible to defeat the State of Israel, given the militarization of its society, its vast war power, and its extensive imperialist financing. Finally, they argue that this is an egalitarian solution for all the current inhabitants of Palestine.
They therefore advocate a single state, with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. They also favor pacifist means to achieve equality for Palestinians by reforming the State of Israel.
It is Impossible to Reform a State Based on Apartheid
However, it is impossible to change the racist nature of the institutions of the state of Israel by democratizing it, because Israel is not a normal bourgeois state; it is an apartheid state, a state based on the permanent ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and an imperialist enclave in the Middle East.
The institutions of the state of Israel must be dismantled and another state, with truly democratic institutions, must be established to guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
To this end, the Palestinian people have the right to use all necessary means, peaceful or not, to defeat Israel, its imperialist boss and its allies, whether among the Arab regimes or among the Palestinian bourgeoisie.
As for the current Israeli population, it is necessary to remember that in a situation of oppression, our attention must be directed first and foremost to the oppressed, in this case the Palestinian people. They must be guaranteed all their rights.
As for the Israelis, the Palestinian people have always been a generous people and will therefore accept that part of the Israeli population that agrees to live in peace with the Palestinians. The Israelis who have committed crimes against humanity, especially the Zionist leaders, must be brought to justice and made to pay for their actions.
A Secular and Democratic Palestine
The original proposal of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is for a free, secular (without any religious determination), and democratic Palestine throughout its historic territory. That is, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the only solution that will guarantee justice for the Palestinian people, i.e. equal rights, the return of refugees, and self-determination. This will be won through a struggle of the Palestinian working class and oppressed sectors, together with the Arab and international working class, against the three enemies of the Palestinian cause: Israel/imperialism, the Arab regimes and the Palestinian bourgeoisie.
Once in power, the Palestinian working class will naturally take measures to break with imperialism and capitalism in order to guarantee social justice for workers, women, and youth. In this struggle, another wave of Arab revolutions will take place and the conditions will be created for the formation of a federation of socialist republics of the Middle East.
Article published in www.opiniaosocialista.com.br, 11/22/2023.
