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Last update - 13:48 29/08/2008 Forward to the past By Jonathan Spyer Tags: Palestinians, Fatah, Israel In recent weeks, a number of prominent Fatah figures have suggested that their movement might abandon its commitment to a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and return to the pre-1988 demand for Israel's replacement by a single state in the area between the Jordan and the Mediterranean. They claim that Israeli policy in the West Bank is forcing them to reconsider their commitment to partition. In fact, though, what used to be known as the "democratic, secular state," and is now called the "one-state solution," has been the end-goal of modern Palestinian nationalism for the greater part of its history. Its reemergence into prominence should come as no surprise. It is the natural product of Palestinian nationalism's characterization of the conflict. The one-state solution is depicted by its adherents as a non-ethnic, non-nationalist alternative to the ethnic nationalism represented by Israel. Israel, according to Virginia Tilly, a prominent Western supporter of the one-state idea, rests "on the discredited idea, on which political Zionism stakes all its moral authority, that any ethnic group can legitimately claim permanent formal dominion over a territorial state." Advertisement This formulation is dishonest. Ahmed Qurei and Sari Nusseibeh, two of the prominent Palestinians with apparently growing sympathy for the one-state idea, are also members of an overtly nationalist movement emerging from a distinctive Arab and Muslim cultural context. The Palestinian Authority in its constitution describes the Palestinian people in ethnic and religious terms, as "part of the Arab and Islamic nations." This document declares Islam as the official religion of the Palestinian state, and cites Islamic sharia law as a "major source for legislation." Thus, whatever argument the one-staters have with Israel, it isn't based on a principled objection to ethnic nationalism. But then, why is this claim of the "non-national," civil rights nature of the one-state demand being made? The reasons for the conceptual lack of clarity at the root of the one-state idea are both pragmatic and conceptual. Pragmatically - an open, public commitment to the denial of the other side's national rights would be counterproductive. It would upset the Europeans and Americans, who largely foot the bill for the Palestinian national project. It is apparently hoped, however, that rebranding Fatah-style Palestinian nationalism using the language of the U.S. civil rights movement of 50 years ago might cause at least some observers not to notice that the one-state solution coincidentally involves the disappearance of a legally constituted Jewish state, and the consequent termination of the right of self-determination of Israeli Jews. In other words, despite its non-ethnic, non-nationalist basis, the one-state solution also includes the full realization of the program of Palestinian nationalism. This attempt at obfuscation is fairly ludicrous. On the conceptual level, however, the current revival of this idea is of greater interest. It shows the extent to which mainstream Palestinian nationalism continues to see the conflict with Israel as one between a project of colonization and a liberation movement. Despite the short period of ostensible commitment to partition in the 1990s, Palestinian nationalism did not undergo any revolution in thought, toward reformulating the conflict as one between rival national groupings that each possess a basic legitimacy. This, of course, was the formulation of its supposed partners on the Israeli left. But this idea found and finds no echo among the Palestinians. Fatah remains convinced that the conflict is one between a usurping, colonial entity and an indigenous resistance movement. This explains the ease with which plans involving the disappearance of the Israeli Jewish collectivity can be dreamed up. The Rhodesians in southern Africa, the pieds noirs in Algeria - all of them disappeared. So why should their local equivalents imagine their fate to be any different? In this interpretation, the denial of the national rights of Israeli Jews by turning them into a minority in an Arab and Muslim state is no denial at all, because belonging to a historically illegitimate collectivity does not confer rights. The trouble is, of course, that Israeli Jews are neither Rhodesians nor pieds noirs. They therefore decline to play the role allotted them in the thinking of Fatah. Should Fatah actually elect to return to its old militant stance of 40 years ago, it will be transformed into a less religious and less serious imitation of its Islamist rivals. The most likely prognosis, though, is that this will not happen. In real life, Fatah leaders fear Hamas more than they fear Israel, and in any case they are deeply embedded in a type of patron-client relationship with the West. Thus, the period ahead will witness a tide of verbiage, vague threats and accusation, readily recycled by Fatah's friends in Western academia and the media. Fatah turned down chances at partition, ultimately because its leadership never fully freed itself from the conceptual straitjacket of the one-state solution. The movement is now threatening to retreat further back down the road it traveled in the 1990s, to the point at which its journey began in the late 1960s. The wearying spectacle of a rejectionist nationalism trying to dress itself up as Martin Luther King, Jr., is the latest strange product of the Middle East's unique blend of tragedy and farce. Jonathan Spyer is a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center, IDC, Herzliya. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Interfaith grandchildren A new group is helping U.S. seniors teach their interfaith grandkids Jewish traditions. Iranian war games Iran army to hold three-day drill amid speculation over Israeli strike.   1.   Israel leaders feel guilty that they won in self-defense 14:13  |  Helm of Chelm 29/08/08   2.   The only one who keeps that (Fatah) dream alive is Israel.... 14:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 29/08/08   3.   Well, Hasbarah have girded themselves for the push-back 14:58  |  Johnboy 29/08/08   4.   Excellent article 14:58  |  lady from USA 29/08/08   5.   West bank to Jordan, Gaza to Egypt, the only way 15:00  |  maurice 29/08/08   6.   The writer is cynical cynical! 15:10  |  Alan S. 29/08/08   7.   Clarifying article 15:20  |  klas 29/08/08   8.   Let`s get real about a PA-state! 15:32  |  AliciaYasmeen 29/08/08   9.   Dream, Do wake up 15:42  |  Dani 29/08/08   10.   One Sharia State.. then there`d REALLY be Apartheid in Israel! 15:43  |  ZISD 29/08/08   11.   They can abandon what they like 15:51  |  me 29/08/08   12.   One State Solution = Declaration of War 15:58  |  JMK 29/08/08   13.   a rejectionist nationalism trying to dress itself up as Martin Lu 16:02  |  pt 29/08/08   14.   Johnboy # 3 The Surprise 16:10  |  Jeff Northridge 29/08/08   15.   A better one-state solution 16:11  |  Ze`ev 29/08/08   16.   PLO Charter still alive after all these years 16:30  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 29/08/08   17.   We can`t escape the occupation `cuz Pals playing Apartheid card 16:57  |  Robert 29/08/08   18.   REVUE OF THE BONEHEADS AT OSLO 17:05  |  vhardman 29/08/08   19.   Palestine is DOA, 2 states, Israel and Jordan Palestine 17:08  |  David 29/08/08   20.   One-State Solution, A Final Solution 17:10  |  FOX 29/08/08   21.   maurice # 5 The Problem With That 17:12  |  Jeff Northridge 29/08/08   22.   the one state solution is more utopian than anything - 17:35  |  ivo 29/08/08   23.   ONE STATE.... 17:36  |  Susan 29/08/08   24.   Maurice 17:54  |  zengeos 29/08/08   25.   Fatah option Condi-Olmert fiction that doesnt exist in real world 18:14  |  G Marcus 29/08/08   26.   Conveniently ommitted from Spyer`s analysis. 18:16  |  Ibrahim 29/08/08   27.   Initial shock of reality is always hard to take.. 18:16  |  Edithann, USA 29/08/08   28.   Medinat Fatah is a very good entity which milks donors 18:19  |  zinovey 29/08/08   29.   Jeff Northridge has spoken... 18:19  |  Ibrahim 29/08/08   30.   Neither have many Israelis too! (for greater Israel) 18:21  |  Dreamers all! 29/08/08   31.   stop settlements 18:55  |  Mark 29/08/08   32.   So obvious 19:00  |  Gimpel the Fool 29/08/08   33.   One state solution with equal rights for all 19:00  |  Palestinian 29/08/08   34.   Yeah Palestinian and how many Jews are there in Gaza? 19:16  |  x-ray 29/08/08   35.   Much talk and no substance 19:22  |  Tosefta 29/08/08   36.   Israel back to Poland, Russia, Germany, the only way! 19:25  |  ELIAS KHOURY 29/08/08   37.   Its never been about truth, its about advancing an ideology 19:40  |  Jess Ghannam 29/08/08   38.   Palestinian # 19 19:48  |  ChanahS 29/08/08   39.   Nobody ever gave up that dream 20:07  |  Fritz T. 29/08/08   40.   Swiss(Dino) & Euro friends keep Fatah`s 1-state dream alive 20:07  |  JP 29/08/08   41.   Entire conflict explained in less than 20 lines 21:00  |  G Marcus 29/08/08   42.   WELL SAID, #30 21:17  |  RW 29/08/08   43.   ELIAS KHOURY were just borne yesterday? 21:28  |  RW 29/08/08   44.   Ibrahim # 21 There`s A Difference 21:33  |  Jeff Northridge 29/08/08   45.   #25 PLEASE READ # 30 it made sense to me 21:38  |  RW 29/08/08   46.   Mark - we need to build more 21:47  |  RW 29/08/08   47.   Jess Ghannam, the smarty pants... 21:55  |  Ibrahim 29/08/08   48.   27 Tosefta, good post,it represents an evolution in your thinking 22:03  |  lakshmi 29/08/08   49.   #14 22:09  |  Michael 29/08/08   50.   Is is not permitted? 22:23  |  Jess Ghannam 29/08/08   51.   Zionists like Spyer are afraid of real democracy 22:32  |  peacelover 29/08/08   52.   Tosefta # 27 I Don`t Believe You 22:34  |  Jeff Northridge 29/08/08   53.   No idea (lakshmi #38) 22:36  |  Tosefta 29/08/08   54.   Ibrahim 23:02  |  Gimpel the Fool 29/08/08   55.   Ibrahim 37 - hind knowledge rather than insight 23:14  |  ChanahS 29/08/08   56.   ELIAS KHOURY # 28 23:15  |  Jeff Northridge 29/08/08   57.   What Do you Expect? 23:34  |  Gary White 29/08/08   58.   One State Solution 23:37  |  Reid 29/08/08   59.   ignoring facts on the ground 23:42  |  jimbo 29/08/08   60.   Good, interesting article by Jonathan Spyer but two-states seems 23:49  |  Smadar 29/08/08   61.   Tough choices for Our cousins!!!??? 23:51  |  Abu Ali 29/08/08   62.   short sighted Reid 00:14  |  x-ray 30/08/08   63.   # 28 Elias Khuri - I hope you feel better.You lost. 00:27  |  17 30/08/08   64.   No solution 01:33  |  Daniel 30/08/08   65.   The Fakestinians need to go back to Arabia! 02:30  |  Palestiniansaremyth 30/08/08   66.   Palestinian 25 "Never" to a one-state solution 03:05  |  Free Gilad Shalit 30/08/08   67.   DIVORCE 03:23  |  Ron 30/08/08   68.   Israel is renewing PLO platform 03:57  |  Truth 30/08/08   69.   Ironically Truth from Melbourne... 05:45  |  Bruce 30/08/08