In the beginning, there was…a NO
1937
If…the Grand Mufti, Husseini, had NOT declared that “the majority of the inhabitants of Jewish lands will not be granted citizenship in our future state” and had NOT proposed expelling the Jews from Palestine, but had agreed to the British offer to receive 80% of the disputed territory, leaving 20% for the Jews,
THEN…Arab Palestinians would have joyfully lived in their own country for 86 years, just like Transjordan, which was formed in 1946 on three-quarters of the mandated territory of Palestine.
1947
If…Husseini, and later Arafat, had NOT rejected the UN partition plan proposing the creation of two states,
THEN…Arabs would have joyfully lived in their own country for 76 years. Arabs would have not only received a much larger territory than what is being offered today but also definitely avoided a huge amount of suffering:
- War of Independence of Israel in 1948, resulting in:
- 1) around 25,000 deaths,
- 2) the refugee problem – both Arab and Jewish,
- 3) enormous economic losses,
- 4) destruction of homes and lives.
- Occupation of the West Bank by Transjordan (1949-1967)
- Occupation of Gaza by Egypt (1949-1967)
- “Black September” in Jordan (1970) and the Civil War in Lebanon (1975-1991), which Arafat practically orchestrated in his sacred struggle for the “liberation of Palestine.”
1967
If…after the Six-Day War, which ended in Israel’s victory, the Arab League had NOT gathered in Sudan and NOT issued its ominous “three no’s”: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel,
Then…Arab Palestinians would have joyfully lived in their own country for 56 years. Arabs could have negotiated with Israel for the exchange of the captured territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in exchange for the peace that Israel offered. Israel even considered and proposed two solutions: to either return the land to Jordan and Egypt or to the Arabs of the region who began to call themselves Palestinians.
2000
If… after the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat at Camp David, Arafat had NOT, in Clinton’s words, “walked away from everything”,
THEN… Arab Palestinians would have joyfully lived in their own country for 23 years. The Palestinians would have had a territory consisting of the Gaza Strip and 94% of the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as their capital. Also, the bloody wave of terrorism, also known as the “second intifada,” which claimed the lives of over 1,184 Israelis and injured thousands more – would not have begun.
2008
If… Abbas had agreed to Olmert’s proposal, which expanded the offer to include more territory than was discussed at Camp David in 2000, to make the deal more attractive,
THEN… Arabs would have joyfully lived in their own country for 15 years and could have followed the example of the UAE and turned Gaza into Dubai.
Also:
- The West Bank would have been under the full control of the PA, except for 6.3% of the land where Jewish settlements were located, but they would have been compensated with Israeli land,
- There would have been a corridor connecting the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
- Full control over East Jerusalem would have been given to the PA, which implied the withdrawal of Israeli forces,
- Israel even offered to transfer control of the Old City in Jerusalem to international observers.
2019
If… Abbas had agreed to the “deal of the century” proposed by the Trump administration,
THEN…Arabs would have joyfully lived in their country and there would not have been so many senseless deaths, terrorist attacks, and killings fueled by hatred. There would not have been the massacre of October 7th, and the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents. Instead, there would have been many positive outcomes and $50 bln in U.S. investments, including the construction of a high-speed railway between Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel would not have had to spend $23 bln per year on defense.
In the end, there was also…NO.
