A columnist for Lebanon’s Daily Star proposes an Israeli-Palestinian agreement in which Jews who refuse to leave the West Bank would become citizens of Palestine, with the right to leave and immigrate to Israel whenever they choose. Bill Glucroft writes:
An ultimatum to settlers would force them to choose between the modern state of Israel and its biblical promise, possibly encouraging many to acquiesce without major incident. Those who remain could retain their Israeli citizenship, with an open invitation to return, but would become Palestinian citizens. Living no differently from other diaspora Jews, they would be subject to the laws and values of their state.At first blush, a Palestinian Jew may sound like an oxymoron, but no more than Israeli Arabs; Palestinians living as Israeli citizens, who comprise more than 20 percent of the Jewish state’s population. Since Palestine would have to resemble a democracy, as Israel does, there is no reason minorities could not live there. In fact, it might help Palestine feel like a normal country.The idea of withdrawing Israel but leaving Israelis has yet to go mainstream, but there have been hints. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said as much at the Aspen Ideas Festival last July, when he declared that Jews would be welcomed in a future Palestinian state.
Full column here.
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