The Israeli Palestinian‐Arab Vision of Transforming Israel into a Binational Democracy

Abstract

The idea of binationalism has risen anew as a result of several developments. It was invoked by the weakening of the nation-state which is identified with a single nation, a single language and a single culture. It was further stimulated by the ideology of multiculturalism that calls for the recognition of diversity and bestowal of cultural rights on cultural minorities. Transnationalism (i.e., activity of a certain nation in more than one country), facilitated by economic and political globalization, was an additional push. In the sphere of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the idea of binationalism rises as an option because of the political impasse and the spreading despair of the two-state solution. The Palestinian-Arab citizens of Israel are also attracted to binationalism because they seek a radical remedy for their minority status in the Jewish state and fear lest the formation of a new Palestinian state alongside Israel will strengthen Israel’s Jewish-Zionist character and exacerbate their subordination. They are supported by a handful of post-Zionists, non-Zionists and anti-Zionists.1 Four “Arab Vision Documents,” in which Paestinian-Arab elties in Israel state their views of the present and desirable status of the Arab minority and Israel’s character, were published from December 6, 2006 to May 15, 2007.2 They share the demands to establish an independent Palestinian state and to turn Israel into a binational democracy. The adoption of this option entails renunciation of three other possibilities: individualbased liberal democracy in Israel in its pre-1967 borders; a single individual-based liberal democracy in the area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea; and a single binational state in the area from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The common denominator of these four options is the eradication of Israel’s nature as a Jewish state. The ensuing discussion will focus on the binational option, addressing the following questions: What kind of binational democracy do the Arab Vision Documents advocate? What can be learned from the international and historical record of binational regimes? Does the Arab minority, apart from the Arab elites, reject Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and is it ready to wage an intense struggle for a binational democracy? Does the Jewish majority accept any form of binational democracy and what would be its reaction if Arabs fight for this goal? Will the Palestinian Authority deny Israel as a Jewish state and back up Arab minority’s endeavor for recasting it into a binational democracy? Would the international community lend legitimacy and support to the idea and campaign for setting up a binational democracy in Israel within the Green Line? Is the related idea of one-state in all of Palestine/Land of Israel acceptable and realistic? What are the likely repercussions of the spread of the Arab Vision Documents? The discussion has two dimensions: scientific-empirical and ideological-normative. Although a comprehensive scrutiny of the issues requires elucidation of both dimensions, this paper is limited to the scientific-empirical dimension as much as possible.