“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 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.
For the complete article (in Hebrew),
click
here.