Tarazi also commented on the "security fence" being built by the Israeli government. When first hearing the idea, Tarazi said he thought, "Great. Build a wall on the Green Line. But, of course, the wall is being built within Palestinian territory." He gave the example of Qalqilya in the South, most of which was taken by Israel in the 1948 war, is now facing a complete loss of its agricultural land to the Israeli government. This pattern of taking away the livelihood (agricultural land and water) of the Palestinians and constructing walls (or Israeli-access roads) has become quite predictable. B'tselem now reports that 42% of the West Bank belongs to colonies/settlements.
With all this, Tarazi asserts that the Israeli government believes in a Palestinian state that has: no agriculture, no industry, no meaningful access to Jerusalem, not enough land for its population, and no access to water.
If this continues, he said, there will soon be no point in talking about a two-state solution. The only two other options are (1) a one-state solution with equal opportunity for all citizens, or (2) ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. Unfortunately, the second option is no longer out of the realm of possibility. There are billboards now in Israel reading "Transfer = Peace", "No Arabs. No terror." And "Land of Israel for the People of Israel." Also unfortunately, ethnic cleansing would be accepted by most of the world if it occurred in the form of "transfer" and was claimed to be the result of security needs. The fact that the international community would likely not intervene in such a transfer is only a sign of the truly bad news.
With all this, Tarazi asserts that the Israeli government believes in a Palestinian state that has: no agriculture, no industry, no meaningful access to Jerusalem, not enough land for its population, and no access to water.
If this continues, he said, there will soon be no point in talking about a two-state solution. The only two other options are (1) a one-state solution with equal opportunity for all citizens, or (2) ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. Unfortunately, the second option is no longer out of the realm of possibility. There are billboards now in Israel reading "Transfer = Peace", "No Arabs. No terror." And "Land of Israel for the People of Israel." Also unfortunately, ethnic cleansing would be accepted by most of the world if it occurred in the form of "transfer" and was claimed to be the result of security needs. The fact that the international community would likely not intervene in such a transfer is only a sign of the truly bad news.