What kind of 2 states?

Sara Eliash says that ‘two states for two peoples’ is an empty, deceptive leftist slogan

Israel Opinion
YNET News

We must admit that when it comes to demagoguery, the sophisticated Left is able to produce simple and catchy phrases. The fact that these slogans have nothing to do with the truth does not stop leftists from using them, knowing that most people won’t examine these catch-phrases too deeply. The slogans will get the job done. If they repeat the lie as many times as possible, perhaps people will ultimately be convinced. For example, the slogan “two states for two people - so simple and so catchy. Numbers that create a sense of credibility. Seemingly it doesn’t get any better than this. But let’s look a little deeper: Are the numbers credible?


How many states have been established in the area that used to be called Palestine-Land of Israel? Today there are two states there, Israel and Jordan. And how many peoples live in them? If we insist on distinguishing the Palestinian people from the overall Arab world, there are two peoples living in these two countries; after all, there is no such thing as the Jordanian people, as all learned experts would agree.


Indeed, most leftists I spoke with were unwilling to relate to this argument, claiming that it is no longer relevant, yet when one looks into a conflict and its possible solutions, one needs to take into account a historical range that goes further back than 40 years.


The state of Jordan is ruled by the Hashemite regime (which isn’t exactly democratic); it settled there with the help of the British army. The Brits handed over the east side of the Jordan River, which was part of the mandated Land of Israel, to the Emir Abdullah, who arrived from Saudi Arabia.


Therefore, there are already two states for two peoples at this time; the only thing that possibly still remains to be done is to hold a multinational conference and decide on dividing the area in a more equal and just manner – by boosting the size of the Jewish State at the expense of Jordan.


The Left’s attempt to limit the conflict to the period of time between the Six-Day War and our times, without the obligation to take into consideration the historical and geographical space, brought the disasters of terrorism and Qassam rockets. The Left’s disregard for the fact that every Arab child recites terms such as “right of return” is part of its attempt to reject reality.


Experiment has failed
What does the slogan “two states for two peoples” hide? In fact, we are talking about three states for two peoples, whereby we get roughly three-fourths of one country, as opposed to two and a quarter Arab states; that is, Jordan and a Palestinian state that possess 75% of the land area, and the dwarfed State of Israel, which is also home to an Arab irredenta with a hostile identity.


Another lie inherent in this simplistic slogan is the viability of establishing a Palestinian state. Ever since the Oslo Accords we have been tirelessly preoccupied with this illusion. We crowned the arch-terrorist Arafat, and later Holocaust-denier Abbas. While doing so we also managed to contribute to Hamas’ rise,we sustained more than 1,000 terror casualties, and we also saw thousands of Arabs murdered in internal conflicts. Anyone with eyes in their head understands that this experiment, which claimed the lives of our best people, has failed.


Hence, when you encounter this empty slogan, keep in mind that there were other such slogans in the past: “Peace Now” and “Peace is better than Greater Israel.” So where is this peace that leftists governments failed to bring during their terms in office? Perhaps, for a change, we should adopt an old rightist slogan that was never attempted as a policy: “Jordan is the Palestinian people’s state.”


Sara Eliash is the Yesha Council’s deputy chairwoman