Mideast
Forum Sets Peace Plan
By Christal Stone
As
international leaders discussed the possiblity of Mideast peace
talks Thursday, scholars gathered on campus to discuss an alternative
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The
Alternative Palestinian Agenda, a peace plan written by UW graduate
Nasser Abufarha, proposes creating a binational state instead
of the more commonly discussed plan to create two separate states.
"Current
realities dictate Israel and Palestine are not separate, nor
separable," Abufarha said.
The
Alternative Palestinian Agenda suggest the creation of territories
based on current demographics and population density, with joint
control of Jerusalem.
These
territories would have their own legal, parliament and judicial
systems.
A
federal union would demographically represent the population
of the new nation.
"I
propose two sovereign states [within one country]," Abufarha
said.
"This
would allow for normalization between Palestinians and Israelis
which would make room for policalization between Palestinians
and Israelis."
Several
scholars debated the Alternative Palestinian Agenda and the
realities of the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Bruce
Saposnik, an expert in Jewish nationalism, voiced his fears
that a bi-national state would put Jews in the minority.
"Inevitably,
Jews would eventurally become a minority in this state, consequently
losing the ethnicity strived for,""Saposnik said.
He
said the proposal was "a recipe for further conflict,"
and a two-state plan would be better.
Mohammad
Doughlah, UW life science communication professor, addressed
the conflcit between the desires of the Israeli and Palestinian
peoples and their leaders.
"I sincerely believe we are at a juncture of the Palestine
and Israeli conflict where we can accurately describe both societies
as victims of oppression," Doughlah said.
"The
oppressors are their own leaders and other leaders who have
appointed themselves so called guardians of one side or the
other."
Doughlah
also said these leaders have pushed agendas through violence
and deception that are not in the best interest of either Israel
or Palestine.
He
said he believes there is hope he two groups could come to a
resolution and in fact, want to. No simple solution can be obtained
without an overarching historical perspective, though, Doughlah
said.
"The
rhetoric we constantly hear about Palestine and Israel hating
each other, not trusting each other is nothing more in my judgment
but a simplistic and twisted reasoning which fails to differentiate
symptoms of a problem and the root cause of that problem,"
he said.
