"Nobody has an alternative", is a very common saying
usually plastered against any criticism of the Oslo Agreement. This
article's goal is to present an alternative aimed at two targets: Internal
– to lay a basis for the re-creation of a new consensus between the Left
and Right wings within the Zionist Movement, and External – to grant
independence and sovereignty to the Palestinians on one hand, while
hindering their recurring attempts against the existence of Israel, on the
other. The following alternative is based on Arab – Islamic legitimation
as well as on the international law.
According to the 1858 Ottoman Land Law which is still
valid (with minor justifications) in Judea and Samaria, the land is
divided into Private Domain (48%), State Domain (40%), Deserted Land
(10%), and Jewish Private Land previous to 1948 (2%). Due to various
reasons, ^^all the Arab towns and villages are built on Private Domain,
while all the Jewish settlements – towns, and villages, are built on State
Domain only~~. This division is total. Except for a few settlements
built on private Jewish land, ^^there are no Jewish settlements on
Private Domain, nor an Arab town or village on State Domain~~.
This situation, based on Ottoman legitimation
accepted and obeyed both by Arabs and Jews, enables us to form the
proposed "Mosaic Sovereignty" in the Territories, in which both Jews and
Arabs may fulfill their own independence in their own premises. The road
and air-space will remain open to all. That proposal is the only one by
which no village will be destroyed, no house is to be deserted and no
people will be dominated or subdued by the other.
Since Jordan renounced their sovereignty over the
West Bank on July 31, 1988, a jurisdictional – political vacuum exists in
this territory, and Israel has the international legitimation to present
the "Mosaic Sovereignty" proposal. It has also every possible
justification to reject any Arab demand to establish the State of
Palestine in the West Bank and absorb millions of Palestinian refugees on
Israeli soil.
It is proposed that Israel will present the Mosaic
Sovereignty solution to the Palestinians. If accepted – the ancient,
historic conflict is over. If rejected – Israel may assume that solution
unilaterally. By all means a well-based unilateral arrangement is
preferable to a shaky, crumbling bilateral agreement which is doomed to
collapse because of the partner's caprices.