Monte and Shusha Negotiate a Solution

[montelatici]

How would you propose to protect Jewish interests and security, assuming a likely eventual Arab majority?

Some things to think about:

unlimited access to the Temple Mount at all times and for all purposes for people of all religious faiths
building of a new Jewish Temple on the Mount, providing it does not damage the Dome or the Mosque at all (truly shared space)
entrenching language, holidays and other cultural aspects into law
preserving the Jewish right of return

those kinds of things

The idea of only enfranchising the WB and EJ Palestinians initially was suggested so that there would not be a non-Jewish majority for a while. Once the non-Jews are enfranchised the issues can be handled. There may be compromises necessary on access to the Temple Mount, i.e. initially visits allowed on certain days of the week, for example. After a while the Muslims will realize that access to the area for Jews will not exclude them in the future, because they will have the ability to stop any exclusion. Like Belgium both languages will have to be official. Eventually English will be the lingua franca anyway. Holidays, Christian, Jewish and Muslim will have to be agreed to.

Right of return will have to be negotiated. An agreement that the exact number of Jews returning will allow the exact number of Christians or Muslims to return would be a solution. The ratio of Christians to Muslims will have to be negotiated between Palestinians.

 

[montelatici]

montelatici

How do you feel about not considering Gaza's incorporation into the United State of Israel and Palestine until there has been a period of time with no belligerent actions? Say one year of peace before the four year countdown.

Honestly, Gaza has such a large Muslim population, most Christians have left, it would upset the demographics. It's a problem. I'll have to think about it.

 

[Shusha]

Right of return will have to be negotiated. An agreement that the exact number of Jews returning will allow the exact number of Christians or Muslims to return would be a solution. The ratio of Christians to Muslims will have to be negotiated between Palestinians.

Sort of a quota system? A certain number of Jews per year, and a certain number of Palestinians?

I'm really uncomfortable with making quotas based on religion, rather than ethnicity. That seems horribly problematic to me.

I also think that there should be a provision for emergencies for the Jewish people. There really is a fundamental safety issue at stake here. But I realize that could run both ways.

 

[Shusha]

The idea of only enfranchising the WB and EJ Palestinians initially was suggested so that there would not be a non-Jewish majority for a while.

Fair enough. And realistically, we need to entrench in law the rights of the minority population no matter which one it happens to be at any given time.

 

[montelatici]

Right of return will have to be negotiated. An agreement that the exact number of Jews returning will allow the exact number of Christians or Muslims to return would be a solution. The ratio of Christians to Muslims will have to be negotiated between Palestinians.

Sort of a quota system? A certain number of Jews per year, and a certain number of Palestinians?

I'm really uncomfortable with making quotas based on religion, rather than ethnicity. That seems horribly problematic to me.

I also think that there should be a provision for emergencies for the Jewish people. There really is a fundamental safety issue at stake here. But I realize that could run both ways.

No quota for Jews, just that non-Jews would equal the number of Jews allowed.

 

[montelatici]

The idea of only enfranchising the WB and EJ Palestinians initially was suggested so that there would not be a non-Jewish majority for a while.

Fair enough. And realistically, we need to entrench in law the rights of the minority population no matter which one it happens to be at any given time.

Agreed.

 

[Shusha]

Right of return will have to be negotiated. An agreement that the exact number of Jews returning will allow the exact number of Christians or Muslims to return would be a solution. The ratio of Christians to Muslims will have to be negotiated between Palestinians.

Sort of a quota system? A certain number of Jews per year, and a certain number of Palestinians?

I'm really uncomfortable with making quotas based on religion, rather than ethnicity. That seems horribly problematic to me.

I also think that there should be a provision for emergencies for the Jewish people. There really is a fundamental safety issue at stake here. But I realize that could run both ways.

No quota for Jews, just that non-Jews would equal the number of Jews allowed.

Ahhhh! I see where you are going with that.

 

[Shusha]

Do you think it is possible and/or desirable to try to maintain a more-or-less equal population of Jews and Arabs? By balancing things like immigration?

 

[montelatici]

Do you think it is possible and/or desirable to try to maintain a more-or-less equal population of Jews and Arabs? By balancing things like immigration?

That would be the plan. The Walloons were a slight majority in Belgium after independence from Holland and now the Flemish are the majority. The laws put in place to protect the minority at the time now protects a different minority. It can work.

 

[Shusha]

I'm still not convinced this could happen YET. But, I'll admit that done right it might just work.

 

[Shusha]

montelatici

This is almost too easy. Want to try the two state solution now?

 

[montelatici]

Go ahead.

 

[Shusha]

You agree with mutual recognition and a permanent end-of-conflict treaty?

Want to start with borders?

 

[montelatici]

1948 Partition borders. Jerusalem an international enclave.

 

[Shusha]

1948 Partition borders. Jerusalem an international enclave.

Borders based loosely on population centers (can't unbreak the egg) provided each State is contiguous (leaving out Gaza for now). Residents along border areas have the opportunity to vote in referendum to choose nationality. Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty with an access point to the Temple Mount for Palestinian citizens which is not under Israeli control.

 

[montelatici]

That will be so difficult. Would Arab population centers in northern Israel become part of Palestine? The northern district of Israel is majority Arab.

 

[Shusha]

That will be so difficult. Would Arab population centers in northern Israel become part of Palestine? The northern district of Israel is majority Arab.

They certainly could.

 

[Shusha]

I'm a little worried about the Jerusalem-Jericho corridor as well.

 

[Shusha]

trying to find a good up-to-date map

 

[montelatici]

That's why a two state solution would be so difficult. You have an Arab majority in the northern district of Israel with a large Jewish minority that would be difficult to appease.