The One State Solution

It may not be new but it is very interesting that a most audacious solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem is coming from no less a person than Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.

Gaddafi proposes a one state solution for all within the pre-1948 borders of Palestine (which is the original name of the land) to contain the Israelis and the Arabs probably in a loose federation of sorts.

Hear him:

" Although it’s hard to realize after the horrors we’ve just witnessed, the state of war between the Jews and Palestinians has not always existed. In fact, many of the divisions between Jews and Palestinians are recent ones. The very name “Palestine” was commonly used to describe the whole area, even by the Jews who lived there, until 1948, when the name “Israel” came into use.

Jews and Muslims are cousins descended from Abraham. Throughout the centuries both faced cruel persecution and often found refuge with one another. Arabs sheltered Jews and protected them after maltreatment at the hands of the Romans and their expulsion from Spain in the Middle Ages.

The history of Israel/Palestine is not remarkable by regional standards — a country inhabited by different peoples, with rule passing among many tribes, nations and ethnic groups; a country that has withstood many wars and waves of peoples from all directions. This is why it gets so complicated when members of either party claims the right to assert that it is their land."

It actually sounds very simple and should be workable but with the US proposing a Two-state Solution (Israel-Palestine) and some even advocating a Three-state Solution (Israel-West Bank-Gaza), it may be hardsell. Let's hope someone looks at it at least.