Protesters Insist on “Return” not Two States, which is a Coded Call for Extremist Violence
Anti-Israel protesters and the more radical progressives seek the destruction of Israel via Arab or Islamic takeover, not peace
In many places, and throughout much of history, Muslims and Jews have gotten along pretty well. The two peoples are semitic cousins, and share many traditions, cultural beliefs, and most of their respective holy books.
Today in the U.S., in particular, Muslims and Jews live and work together, and are generally allies in the effort to maintain a pluralistic society with freedom of religion and tolerance for all.
However, in Israel/Palestine, tensions are high, and Palestinians (like all Middle Eastern countries or people) are ruled by autocrats ranging from mildly anti-democratic, to violent extremists, to Islamic terrorists.
The Palestinian Authority governs most of the West Bank, but not democratically. The PA is supposed to hold elections and flatly refuses to do so. Famously, the PA funds the families of dead or injured terrorists, providing an incentive to kill Jews. The PA is also universally reviled for thier corruption.
Despite these flaws, the PA does reasonably well by Middle Eastern standards. They do work together with Israel on security matters, keep terrorists such as Hamas and PIJ in check where possible, and are not an Islamic dictatorship or explicitly terrorist group.
Gaza, or course, is ruled by Hamas, who are terrorists, and who rule with an iron fist. Hamas is an Islamic extremist organization, dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in place of Israel using martyrdom as a key tool. Their fixation on martyrdom — the killing or suicide of both their own Hamas fighters and also innocent Gazan civilians — makes Hamas a true death cult. As a Hamas official admitted:
The [October 7th attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.
The one-state solution(s)
Despite these problems, today’s progressive activists insist on an Arab/Islamic takeover of Israel. The mechanism they favor is to let all descendants of anyone displaced during the Israeli War of Independence or the Six-Day War “return” to Israel, creating a demographic shift so that Arabs will outnumber and outvote Jews. There are about 10M descendants of Palestinians around the world, so at that point, the Arabs can do pretty much whatever they want, simply by voting.
The cynical claim they make is that this would create a peaceful society. Any sensible person knows the real goal of an Islamic takeover of Israel is actually to expel the Jews at best, and kill them at worst.
Advocating for a one-state solution is advocating for a second Holocaust.
History of Arab governance
Let’s look to history to understand what a Palestinian takeover would look like.
Hamas:
Until 2017, Hamas’ charter clearly stated that:
The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees.
There was zero doubt about their intent. In 2017, they revised their charter to be somewhat more politically palatable, but it still clearly states their absolute insistence on imposing Islamic rule over the entire region. This is absolute and non-negotiable for Hamas and similar groups.
Hamas also kills political rivals, gay people, women and others. They recently killed the head of a prominent Gaza clan for helping Israel distribute food aid.
Palestinians generally:
Unfortunately, while Palestinians are good and reasonable people overall, they are also traumatized (as are Israelis) and now quite hostile to Jews. In fact, about 80% of non-Israeli PalestiniansHamas’ support Hamas’ October 7th attacks, the most brutal terror action in modern history, involving burning, raping, torture, infanticide, kidnapping and rape. In fact, 40% of the West Bank Palestinians support Hamas as new rulers to replace Fatah and the PA. So Hamas’ genocidal extremism is a likely component of any future Palestinian state at this time.
Now that there has been an additional 80 years of war and terror, continually escalating tensions and traumatizing both Israeli and Palestinian populations, trying to force the two peoples together is sheer lunacy.
Arabs generally:
We can look to 1948, when Jordan took over a lot of land, including Jerusalem, and ruled from 1948–1967 to see how neighboring Arab states behave. As soon as Jordan took the land (which had been promised to the Palestinians by the U.N. btw, so was stolen from Palestinians) Jordan ethnically cleansed Jerusalem of all Jews. Jewish gravestones were dug up, broken and used to pave the streets.
Also, there are no Middle Eastern democracies. None — not now, not ever.
Sadly even the nominally democratic Muslim countries are barely democratic. Consider Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, and others.
Arab Israelis:
Arab Israelis are actually anti-Hamas, and pro-democracy as a group.
Many people do not understand that 20% of Israeli citizens are Arab Palestinians (vs Arabs in the Occupied Territories) who enjoy full rights just like any Jewish, Druze, Bedouin or Christian citizen of Israel. There is some discrimination, but generally Arab Israelis live where they want, get all state benefits, vote, and participate in medicine, law, academia and so on, like anyone else.
A one-state solution would drive more attacks and war
Overall, we see that there is no history, no inclination, no cultural tradition and no capacity for Palestinians to create a democratic, pluralistic society where Jews and Muslims live together in harmony.
The only places that has happened are in Western Democracies, and in Israel (where Arab Israeli citizens are well integrated, if imperfectly).
The British even tried to force Arabs and Jews to get along for about 20 years from roughly 1920 to 1948, when the Brits finally gave up and left it to them to fight it out. During the British colonial period, Arabs ramped up attacks on innocient Jewish immigrants in the 1920s, then particularly in 1929. This grew more during the Arab Uprising of 1936–1939. Along the way, after the 1929 attacks, some Jewish groups started to arm and also attack, forming an ever-escalating cycle of violence the Brits were unable to control.
Now that there has been an additional 80 years of war and terror, continually escalating tensions and traumatizing both Israeli and Palestinian populations, trying to force the two peoples together is sheer lunacy.
In contrast, India was divided into India proper and Pakistan, which created two stable, relatively peaceful nations living side by side.
Gays, women, Africans, and others
In addition to widespread, murderous hatred of Jews, Islamic and Arab leaders are harsh and oppressive toward the LGBQ community, women and other minorities.
Under Hamas rule, and in many Islamic societies, gay people are routinely tortured, beaten or killed. Often, their own families are expected to kill gay family members in “honor killings.”
Similarly, women are considered to be the property of their husbands, fathers or brothers, and must obey, or also be beaten and even killed in honor killings.
If the family does not do the job, Hamas or other Islamists will.
Two states for two peoples
All this means that two states, living securely side by side, with security guarantees, is still the only sensible path forward. Israel for the Jews (and Christians, Druze, Muslims and others in Israel’s pluralistic society now) and a Palestinian state for Muslims in the region.
The U.N. was actually wise when they approved the partition plan of the land in 1947. If the partition had been complete and accepted, the region would be more like India and Pakistan now, rather than mired in terror.
Advocating for a one-state solution is advocating for a second Holocaust.
If fringe progressive activists get their way, blood will flow in the streets of Israel. Seven million souls are in grave danger of being ethnically cleansed or killed in a genocide if these anti-Israel advocates get their way.
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Please post and share this widely, dear readers. The irresponsibility of a “return” of Palestinians which destroys Israel is not well understood. Too many people think the protesters are peace activists, harkening back to the 1960s, rather than advocating for a murderous overthrow of Israel.
