Israeli and Palestinian public figures have drawn up a new proposal for a two-state confederation. They hope this will offer a way forward after a decade-long stalemate in peace efforts.
The plan includes several controversial proposals, and it's unclear if it has any support among leaders on either side. But it could help shape theand will be presented to a senior U.S. official and the U.N. secretary-general this week.
The initiative is largely based on the Geneva Accord, a detailed, comprehensive peace plan drawn up in 2003 by prominent Israelis and Palestinians, including former officials. The nearly 100-page confederation plan includes new, detailed recommendations for how to address core issues. "We believe that if there is no threat of confrontations with the settlers it would be much easier for those who want to have a two-state solution," Beilin said. The idea has been discussed before, but he said a confederation would make it more "feasible."
Thorny issues like the conflicting claims to Jerusalem, final borders and the fate of Palestinian refugees could be easier to address by two states in the context of a confederation, rather than the traditional approach of trying to work out all the details ahead of a final agreement.It's been nearly three decades since Israeli and Palestinian leaders gathered on the White House lawn to sign the Oslo accords, launching the peace process.
On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas' authority is confined to parts of the occupied West Bank, with the Islamic militant group Hamas — which doesn't accept Israel's existence — ruling Gaza. Abbas' presidential term expired in 2009 and his popularity has plummeted in recent years, meaning he is unlikely to be able to make any historic compromises.
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