The solution is simple but the status quo is preferable in Israel

Submitted by Eyad Nusayr (United States), Apr 3, 2017 at 20:40

As a Jordanian my self (indigenous) I can tell you that, regarding the Palestinian issue, Jordanian see themselves as victims of both Israel and the autocratic regime. The creation of Israel doubled the population of Jordan with refugees that lost almost everything they could not carry including the social fabric of their villages and towns. The regime, on the other hand, illegally annexed the west bank and forced its citizenship down their throats without consulting us or them.

Some say the regime did this because it wanted to expand its tax base. More cynical commentators say that the only reason the British created the kingdom was to give Israel a place to send the refugees to once it was created (the so-called alternative state solution). These commentators point out the fact that after King Hussein surrendered the claim to sovereignty over the West Bank in 1988, effectively reversing the annexation, he did not also rescind the citizenship of the those west bankers who became citizens because of the annexation. So essentially, Israel got the land and Jordan got the population.

Asking Jordan to re-annex the west bank will be met with a lot of resistance form all parties in Jordan whether indigenous or Palestinian. The solution is actually in Israel's hands but they would prefer the status quo because they want Israel to be a Jewish majority state. I'm talking of course about the one-state solution.

Israelis believes that the one state solution will put the Jewish population under the threat of a fifth column and another holocaust and will destroy their democracy. It seems that they think that their distant cousins carry genes that prevent them from becoming democratic or leftist or trustworthy fellow citizens. I was once told by an American Israeli dual citizen that they can't trust Palestinians to adopt western-style human rights and democracy because they had a tough time teaching the Jews that came from Iraq, Egypt and other middle-eastern countries these values and it took a generation. I told him if you can teach one middle-eastern group you can teach another and waiting a generation is a small price to pay in return for a long-term solution.

The alternatives are not pretty including the status quo.Right wing voices in Israel are suggesting a "population transfer" essentially a euphemism for ethnic cleansing. Like every other state in history Israel will weaken and fall and the fate of its Jewish inhabitants will depend on their good relations with their non-Jewish neighbors.

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