Views of Palestinian statehood
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Views of Palestinian statehood are various, disparate, and often violently disputed. Some observers regard this matter as central to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
- This article simply lists all the various views, without evaluating whether any particular view is justified. Its purpose is to delineate the major points of view which will be of interest to Wikipedia readers.
Ideas for creating states in the region historically known as "Palestine" include:
- the view that all of the region should be a Jewish homeland, i.e., a sovereign state called Israel.
- the view that the region should be divided into two roughly equal portions: a Jewish homeland called Israel, and the other for non-Jewish residents (any name okay)
- the view that the region should consist of three states: with (1) Jordan to the east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea; and with (2) "Palestine" and (3) Israel to have some arrangement of the territory to the west of the Jordan River
- the view that the eastern portion of the region should become an Arab kingdom (i.e., modern Jordan) and that the western portion should belong to the non-Jewish residents of the region (i.e., a sovereign state called "Palestine")
- the view that the region should be a single multi-cultural, pluralistic state, like Lebanon. This view has two main variants:
- the entire region should be a pluralistic state
- the region should be divided into (1) a pluralistic state and (2) a chiefly Arab state
One convenient way to divide these views takes into account the geographical redefinition of "Palestine" in the mid-20th century. Before the 1940s, Palestine was generally held to include the territory which later became "Jordan"; by the end of the 1940s, usage of the term Palestine generally assumed to exclude Jordan.
This distinction has a bearing on several key political phrases, such as:
- State of Palestine
- Palestinian territories
- occupation of Palestine
- Palestinian refugees
- violence against Palestinians
The western portion of the region
The view that the region west of the Jordan River should become a Jewish homeland west of the Jordan River, while the region to its east should be for non-Jewish residents, is still fondly cherished by many Israeli and American Jews, but utterly dismissed by Islamic people generally.
- It accepts the status quo of Jordan's existence; but
- It does not solve the problem of stateless Arabs living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or western portions of Jordan; and
- It is violently opposed by nations and movements who never wanted to see Israel established in the first place and still hope for its utter destruction now.
- the view that the region should consist of three states: with (1) Jordan to the east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea; and with (2) "Palestine" and (3) Israel to have some arrangement of the territory to the west of the Jordan River
The entire region
Jewish homeland
The view that the entire region should be a Jewish homeland no longer has any currency. It is generally considered a given that Jordan's sovereignty is inviolable.
- the view that the eastern portion of the region should become an Arab kingdom (i.e., modern Jordan) and that the western portion should belong to the non-Jewish residents of the region (i.e., a sovereign state called "Palestine")
- the view that the region should be a single multi-cultural, pluralistic state, like Lebanon. This view has two main variants:
- the entire region should be a pluralistic state
- the region should be divided into (1) a pluralistic state and (2) a chiefly Arab state