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Shalom Freedman is an American-born writer on Jewish subjects who has lived and worked in Israel for many years. His book, , was recently been published by Urim Books.
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By Shalom Freedman
November 23, 2003
A plan for making peace between the Jews of Eretz Yisrael and the Arabs of Palestine:
1. The land on both sides of the Jordan which was included in the Balfour Mandate of 1917 is to be divided into two states: one Jewish, and one Arab.
2. The Jewish state is to be the home and place of citizenship of all the Jews within the territory in question.
3. The Arab state is to be the home and place of citizenship of all the Arabs within the territory in question.
4. No person or family, Jew or Arab is to be evicted, or forced to leave their home.
5. The Jewish state is to have complete security control of the land west of the Jordan. The Arab state is to have complete security control of the state east of the Jordan.
6. The Arab citizens living within enclaved areas on the West Bank of the Jordan are to have the citizenship of the Arab state. They are also to have free right of communication between East and West Banks of the Jordan.
7. No foreign Army is to be allowed into the territory of either state.
8. Each state is to control its own border, and has the power to deny access to its territory to those residents of the other state who have residence across its border.
9. Ideally there is to be economic cooperation between the societies.
10. Each of the states is to have the right to bring into its borders as many immigrants or returning refugees as it wants.
11. The citizens of the Arab state living on the East Bank of the Jordan have no given free right of passage to the Jewish state. And the citizens of the Jewish state no right of free passage to the Arab state.
12. Both states are to aspire to be democracies, respecting the civil liberties of their citizens.
13. The citizens of the Arab state whether living on the West or the East Banks are to have no social and economic claim against the Jewish state. They are to belong wholly in the social and economic sense to the Arab entity.
14. There is to ideally be cooperation between the two states on common problems such as environmental pollution, water development.
15. There is to be freedom of worship at all holy places - with all holy places open not only to Jews and Muslims but to peoples of all faiths.
16. In areas within the Jewish state in which there are large Arab enclaves, or areas in the Arab state in which there are Jewish enclaves the local communities are to run their own internal affairs. There is to as complete local autonomy as possible.
17. Neither of the states is permitted to take unilateral actions that endanger or compromise the major interests of the other state.
18. Both states are to work assiduously to discourage hostile propaganda, incitement, actions of hatred against the other state.
19. Both states are to act in good faith to be good neighbors settling all disputes in a spirit of compromise.
20. The surrounding Arab states are to participate in and ratify the agreement. The wealthier of these states are to provide economic assistance to the Palestinian Arab state.
21. Those Palestinian Arabs scattered throughout the Middle East are to have the choice of becoming citizens of the states they are now resident in, or becoming residents and citizens of the Arab state in the East Bank portion of Palestine.
22. Reparations claims for property Jews left behind in the Arab countries, and Arabs left behind in areas of the Jewish state are to be adjudicated by a joint commission of the Jewish and Arab states. The international community in considering the importance of peace in the Middle East as a world interest is to contribute funds for this purpose.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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