By Jonathan Kuttab – Sabeel: It is outrageous that in the midst of an ongoing genocide, where every day brings us new tragedies and horrors, we have the luxury of considering “end status” solutions. But as we are repeatedly asked what we want and what we envision the outcome to be, it might be worth asking this question – even if the immediate task is to stop the genocide, achieve a ceasefire, release the hostages and prisoners, lift the siege on Gaza and begin rebuilding.
The often misunderstood phrase “from the river to the sea” refers to a solution that affects the entire Palestinian homeland. For a time after the 1967 war, many people believed in the possibility of a two-state compromise in which the Palestinians would give up their claims to 78% of historic Palestine in return for an independent state in the territories occupied in 1967, namely the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza.
This “two-state solution” (also known as “land for peace”) was a major compromise that was intended to end the occupation and conflict and to achieve a pragmatic outcome that did not challenge the basic principles of Zionism or Palestinian nationalism. Anyone who rejected this compromise or raised fundamental questions was branded an extremist who had no interest in peace. This was, in fact, the premise of the Oslo peace process, and the agreements signed at that time were intended to make progress toward that goal.
Since then, however, and especially after the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, this process has been thoroughly undermined by a massive expansion of Jewish settlements in the areas earmarked for a Palestinian state.
At the same time, right-wing elements achieved the adoption of a series of laws and measures that emphasized the exclusive “Jewishness” of the State of Israel and withdrew any claim to equality for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Administrative and legal changes, as well as facts created on the ground, made such a two-state solution impossible.
Meanwhile, Israeli politicians, political parties and leaders made it very clear that they would never tolerate a Palestinian state, and continuous action was taken to effectively annex the territories.
I myself wrote a small book on the subject, Beyond the Two-State Solution, in which I described this process and proposed a new vision for a solution that encompasses all of Palestine and takes into account the needs of both groups in a single state that meets the core needs of all peoples, without exclusivity. It calls for a solution that is not based on the domination of one group or the exclusion of a numerical minority.
So when I (and many others) speak of a single state “from (the Jordan) to (the Mediterranean)”, I do not mean the expulsion of Jews or Israelis from these territories, but a new paradigm that recognizes the truth that there is currently only one state between the river and the sea, an apartheid state that is neither democratic nor free. We express the hope and the goal of liberating the entire region. Not only the territories occupied in 1967, but all of Palestine must be free:
Free from injustice, oppression or domination by any group, From the river to the sea
Free from racism, bigotry, discrimination and Jewish (or Arab) supremacy, From the river to the sea
Free participation of the people in democracy and free, equal elections, From the river to the sea
Free to return to their homeland (whether you call it Aliyah or Awdah) and not live as refugees or stateless people, From the river to the sea
Free to live and move freely anywhere in the country, without walls, checkpoints, permits or roadblocks, from the river to the sea
Freedom to practice one’s religion or no religion without coercion or persecution, From the river to the sea
Free to flourish, worship, worship and develop their culture, language and customs with mutual respect and tolerance, From the river to the sea
Free from oppressive state censorship or arbitrary detention, From the river to the sea
Free and truly democratic, with a free press, an independent judiciary, a proper constitution guaranteeing basic rights to all individuals and minorities, against the whims of a fickle majority and regardless of changing demographics. From the river to the sea
You may think this goal is utopian, like “the lamb lies down with the lion, and a little child will lead them.” So be it. That is what I want and that is what I believe in.
Free Palestine: From the River to the Sea.
Jonathan Kuttab: In addition to my work as co-founder of Sabeel, JerusalemJonathan is co-founder of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and co-founder of Nonviolence International. Jonathan is a well-known international human rights lawyer, practicing in the United States, Palestine and Israel.
He is a member of the board of Bethlehem Bible College and chairman of the board of the Holy Land Trust. Jonathan was chairman of the legal committee that negotiated the 1994 Cairo Agreement between Israel and the PLO.
After earning a law degree from Virginia Law School and practicing for several years on Wall Street, Jonathan returned to Palestine.
Jonathan was a visiting lecturer at the Osgoode Law School of York University in Toronto in the fall of 2017 and is the founding director of Just Peace Advocates Mouvement pour une Paix Juste, a Canada-based non-profit international human rights law organization.
Jonathan lives in East Jerusalem and is a partner in the East Jerusalem law firm Kuttab, Khoury and Hanna. He is the author of Beyond the Two-State Solution, in which he proposes that any solution should be based on the basic existential needs of the two parties. His latest book is The Truth Will Set You Free: The Story of a Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer Working for Peace and Justice in Palestine/Israel.
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA is an interdenominational Christian organization that works for justice and peace in the Holy Land through education, advocacy and nonviolent action.
FOSNA promotes the vision of Sabeel Jerusalem, an ecumenical liberation theology movement founded by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land, and joins the worldwide branches of the Friends of Sabeel. As a nonprofit organization in the United States, we amplify the voice of Palestinians by advocating in churches, communities, and governments for justice, peace, and liberation in Palestine.
