Palestinian President Abbas Says One-State Solution Is an Option

Warns Israel 'Gravely Undermining' Two-State Solution

Jason Ditz 

Posted onSeptember 21, 2017CategoriesNewsTagsIsrael, Palestine

Speaking at the UN, President President Mahmoud Abbas took an unprecedented position in the course of what have become increasingly common warnings over the lack of progress on a two-state solution. He conceded that the one-state solution is an option.

That’s not a position Palestinian officials historically like to talk about. For a long time, establishing an independent Palestine next to Israel has been the only game in town. Israeli policies, Abbas warned, are “gravely undermining” the two-state solution.

But while a one-state solution is something that Israel’s far-right has long advocated,it’s clearly not the same state as Abbas envisions. Abbas warned that the Palestinian Authority would “continue the struggle and demand full, equal rights for all inhabitants of historic Palestine.”

Equal rights is clearly a deal-breaker for most of Israel’s current coalition government, which has been working on law changes to ensure that Israel’s status as a Jewish-ruled state is never undermined by any pretense of democratic character. Since a one-state solution would give Israel an Arab majority, this would clearly be an issue, if they’re given any sort of voting rights.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/09/21/palestinian-president-abbas-says-one-state-solution-is-an-option/