Two years left? The two-state solution is already dead

Western leaders and diplomats are trying in their own little ways to breathe some life back into the Middle East peace process. This week US Secretary of State John Kerry put a two-year ultimatum on the peace process in attempts to hurry things along and bungle together some of that sweet-tastin’ peace stuff we’ve all been hearing so much about. Speaking to a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Kerry said: “The window for a two-state solution is shutting, we have a year, year and a half before it’s over.” But as it stands, the two-state solution already looks as good as dead. It has become a symbol of Israel’s unwillingness to retreat and the West’s refusal to reprimand it. At a time when 40 percent of West Bank Palestinians support the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority – marred as ever by accusations of corruption, financial inefficiency and being generally ineffectual – pushing even harder for a “solution” to the conflict that would play into Israel’s hands seems foolish as well as unjust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s language on the prospects for peace today show that this is another attempt at an unilateral push for peace that ignores central Palestinian negotiating conditions: the Right of Return, an end to settlements and occupation. Netanyahu has said the Jewish state is committed to a peace that will be based on the principle of two states for two peoples, a Jewish state alongside a demilitarised Palestinian state.” He has also refused to freeze settlements or even include the issue in negotiations. “But in order for the peace to last, it must be anchored in security,” he said, before flying to attend late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral in London. “The State of Israel must be able to defend itself by itself; its security will be a main component of any future peace agreement.” How do settlements bolster Israeli “security?” Netanyahu's remarks demonstrate how Zionism equates its safety with settlements - bastions of colonialism, racism, land-grabbing and violence. Israel also routinely defends policies of detention (including children), occupation and violence based on concerns for“security.” This is a myth. It’s the one-size-fits-all word that defends everything the state does against the Palestinians – that can turn children as young as 10 into terrorists, worthy of physical abuse and years of torment. Rightly, the Palestinians have refused to enter direct negotiations without a promise to end West Bank settlement activity. Israel and America responds by claiming the Palestinians are entering negotiations with preconditions. The Palestinians have already given up 80 percent of their land. This is the two-state solution, continuing the same way it has for decades. It is a project pitted against the Palestinians from the start and it will not end the conflict. It’s time to start thinking of new ways to reach peace - ones that acknowledge Israeli crimes and Palestinians' legitimate demands. Until then the conflict lives on. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.