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Sanjay Shankar

Ms. Jorgensen

English 10 H

01 May 2019

Ceasing Everlasting Tensions

There is an old saying that goes “time is currency.” This applies in micro and macro

scales across the world. On a macro scale, the impacts of wasted time are evidently more

substantial. A pure exemplification of this is the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The time that

has been wasted during the debate of whether Palestine should be independent from Israel has

prolonged and heightened border tensions. A righteous solution to the conflict would not only

save time and money, but also benefit those who are affected by it. This righteous solution is the

formation of two seperate states: Palestine and Israel. Palestine must be granted its autonomy in

the near future because the international community wants it, risk of war has increased over time,

and both Israelis and Palestinians want seperate states.

The top members of the international community have the most control on what happens

across the world, whether it be trade or humanitarian rights. According to the Guardian, “The EU

is heavily invested in the multilateral, rules-based international order” (The Guardian 1). This

means that the European Union commands strict guidelines to be followed internationally to

maintain peace and prosperity for the world. The Guardian furthers that “Europe has promoted a

just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of a two-state solution” (The

Guardian 1). Western European countries are not only international hegemons, but also the main

trading partners of many Middle Eastern countries. In the status quo, threats from Middle Eastern

countries prolong the separation. If Middle Eastern countries look to maintain the magnitude of
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European investment flowing into their economy, they must comply with European international

policies, especially in Israel.

War is one of the most detrimental things to any society, both economically and socially.

The last thing any country wants, especially with current improvements in powerful military

technology, is to go to war. But, in the status quo, the risk of war between Israel and Palestine

remains. According to the Times Of Israel, “the risk of war continues to loom large” (Times Of

Israel 1). Not only would this drain the economy of Israel and Palestine, but it would also have

dire impacts on the global economy. Simply put, Israel is a geopolitical choke point for the

international community, as there are many conflicting opinions on it. Thus, If Israel and

Palestine were to get into a war, then the entire world may get involved. The developed world

has substantially built up arms over the past decade, and if countries such as The United States

and North Korea were to get involved, the impact of the war would be immense. The nuclear

stockpile of these countries would lead to an unneeded standoff of power that can be resolved by

granting Palestine their independence.

The utmost priority in the debate of Palestine’s autonomy is the wellness of both

Palestinians and the Israelis. Thus, the solvency to the issue should be shaped for the wants and

needs of both respective populations. According to Beauchamp of Vox News “ Most polling

suggests that both Israelis and Palestinians prefer a two-state solution” (Beauchamp 1).

Consequently, the clear solution is to grant Palestine its autonomy to maintain stability in the

region. If the solution is so straightforward, it raises the question: Why has it not happened yet?

Many factors influence the prolonging of the debate, including the aforementioned threats by

Middle Eastern countries. The solvency for that obstacle was provided, but many other factors

influence the prolonging. The root cause of the problem’s prolonging is the non-diplomatic
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direction the Palestinians are taking to demand their independence. Emery of Third World

Quarterly explains that “the Palestinian movement framed the discourse of liberation primarily in

ethno-national terms through its demands for decolonisation of all of Palestine or, more recently,

a territorial delineation of two ethnically defined states” (Emery 1). In other words, Palestine has

been focusing more heavily on the borderlines that will be drawn between the states rather than

separating itself. Emery furthers that the Palestinian movement for autonomy should mirror that

of South Africa’s during the post-apartheid era. The people of South Africa wanted to cleanse the

region of the racist past, and then decide the schematics of intraregional migration. Emery

advises that Palestine work to form the solution first, and then discuss the delineation of the

countries.

When analyzing the issue of Palestine, it is crucial to look into their past. The

dysfunctionality that is seen shows the dire need for Palestinian autonomy. The time that has

been wasted over the debate must come to an end, and the best solution must be achieved. There

are countless benefits for granting Palestine its independence, including satisfying of the

international community, decreasing the risk of war, and satisfying both Israelis and Palestinians.

Numerous reports of Palestinian families being tortured, females being raped have surfaced

headlines in the status quo. In addition to all the aforementioned benefits, granting Palestine its

independence would also significantly decrease the amount of humanitarian rights violations in

the region.

Works Cited
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Beauchamp, Zack. “What Are the ‘Two-State Solution’ and the ‘One-State Solution’?” Vox, Vox

News, 14 May 2018, www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18080094/what-are-the-two-state-

solution-and-the-one-state-solution.

Emery, Alan. “Liberation movements, universal citizenship and the resolution of ethno-national

conflict: ANC nonracialism and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.”, Vol. 35, No. 3, 447–

467, Third World Quarterly, Mar. 2014,

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/src_ic/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=76b946fc-a48e-

4585-bbd7-05cd1b13db06%40sdc-v-sessmgr02

“Europe Must Stand by the Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestine.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, 14 Apr. 2019,

www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/14/europe-must-stand-by-the-two-state-solution-

for-israel-and-palestine.

“UN envoy says risk of Israeli-Palestinian war looms large.” The Times Of Israel, Times Of

Israel, 21 Feb. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-envoy-says-risk-of-israeli-

palestinian-war-looms-large/