The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict is one of the most pointlessly ideological and political conflicts of all time. While there are many opinions about how the Conflict should be resolved, the majority of people on both sides actually agree on a surprising amount of the issues. So if everyone agrees on how this should end, why is it still continuing? The politicians are unable to make really tough decisions and compromises. It's likely that whoever is involved in the final negotiations of the Conflict will be labeled a traitor or sell-out or betrayer etc., and that will be the end of their political career. And what's the point of solving a decades-old conflict if you get no glory? But whether or not either side has a bold enough leader, the people themselves know what the end solution is going to look like. Here are my ideas about the core issues:
Borders:
Palestine will include the Gaza Strip and most of the West Bank, which is east of the Green Line of 1967. In recent negotiations Israel has offered up to 97% of the West Bank, I think I read in the "Palestine Papers" recently released by Al Jazeera and The Guardian. There is talk of including some of the Arab villages along the Green Line in Palestine, but it seems as though many of these Arab Israeli do not want to lose their Israeli citizenship. I suggest that these Arab villages along the border have local elections to determine which state they will belong to. This will involve some trust among the Palestinian and Israeli leadership, since both sides would have to be OK with having all, none, or some of those villages.
Jerusalem:
Israel is not giving up the Old City. Ever. There are some neighborhoods of Jerusalem along the edge that I think Israel should and would be able to give to Palestine. The Arab residents of East Jerusalem are mostly Jerusalem residents, not Israeli citizens (which requires renouncing other citizenships and swearing allegiance to Israel), so Israel would not be revoking their citizenship if their neighborhoods became part of Palestine. Without busting out a map, I think it's fair to say that Arab neighborhoods on the periphery of Jerusalem should go to Palestine, and adjacent Arab neighborhoods. It's unlikely Israel would agree to give away Arab neighborhoods that are surrounded by Jews.
Settlements:
There are a few major settlements which Israel should keep, like Maaleh Adumim and Ariel. They can either have Israeli-controlled freeways going straight there, or the existing roads (with ramps into Palestinian land) can be maintained by Palestine. Maaleh Adumim is close to Jerusalem, but Ariel is farther out, so maybe a few solutions can be employed for the different situations. The rest cannot be controlled by Israel. The residents of the smaller settlements should be given 3 choices: 1. remain citizens of Israel living abroad, 2. become citizens of Palestine, 3. move back into Israel proper.
Refugees:
"Palestinian refugees" are different from any refugees in the world. While a refugee is normally someone who has been displaced from their home during a conflict, Palestinian refugees are those who lived their for only two years or more, giving refugee status to many more people than would otherwise have received it. Be that as it is, The Arab refugees of 1948 should be given either Israeli citizenship, financial compensation, or even citizenship to other countries, as some have suggested. Their descendants probably won't get anything, since Israel is not going to let in massive amounts of non-Jews, just as the Palestinians don't want tons of Jews in their country. Call it whatever you like, but that's how it is. Furthermore, Jews who were expelled from Arab countries in 1948 should also be given financial compensation for their property. It is unlikely that many Jews would want to return to countries like Iraq and Algeria.
So it's not that complicated. None of my ideas are original. From what I heard from OneVoice, a majority of people on both sides agree on most of the issues. At this point it's all politics. We need two leaders who can step up to the plate, who are willing to risk their careers and lives for an end to this conflict. The rest is details.
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