The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict

Also by Raja Halwani

VIRTUOUS LIAISONS: Care, Love, Sex, and Virtue Ethics
SEX AND ETHICS: Essays on Sexuality, Virtue and the Good Life

Also by Tomis Kapitan

PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ISRAELI–PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY, AND CULTURE IN PALESTINE AND THE NEAR
EAST
The Israeli–Palestinian
Conflict
Philosophical Essays on
Self-Determination, Terrorism and the
One-State Solution

Raja Halwani
School of the Art Institute of Chicago

and

Tomis Kapitan
Northern Illinois University
© Raja Halwani & Tomis Kapitan 2008
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-0-230-53537-4

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To my mother, Nora Halwani, and to Khadijah al-Khateeb, the
two women who taught me the importance of justice and hope.
Raja Halwani

To my mother, Ruth Kapitan, whose positive influence has

been greater than she might realize.
Tomis Kapitan
This page intentionally left blank
Contents

Acknowledgements viii
Maps ix

Introduction 1
Tomis Kapitan and Raja Halwani

1 Self-Determination 13
Tomis Kapitan

2 The Right of Return 72

Raja Halwani

3 Terrorism 132
Tomis Kapitan

4 The One-State Solution 198

Raja Halwani

References 245
Index 262

vii
Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Salman Abu Sitta, the Foundation for Middle East
Peace, and the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of Interna-
tional Affairs (PASSIA) for allowing us to use their maps, Ali Abunimah
for helpful advice, Maureen Clare Murphy for providing the photograph
that made its way to the cover of this book, Steven Jones for his help in
designing the cover, Vidya Vijayan at Palgrave Macmillan for her tireless
editorial help in copy editing and seeing the book to its completion, and
Dan Bunyard at Palgrave Macmillan for helpful advice, encouragement,
and editorial feedback.
Raja Halwani wishes to thank Malik Moubayed, the owner of Café
Latakia in Chicago, for his hospitality and generosity, when Halwani was
writing and revising his chapters at his café; Ali Abunimah and Syrine
al-Hout for help and advice; and all those with whom he discussed the
issues of this book over the years and who made important sugges-
tions; the list is too long, but special thanks go to Issa Abu Nimah,
Roxane Assaf, Celeste Friend, Nora Halwani, Kathy Havens, Bayan al-
Hout, Steven Jones, Tomis Kapitan, Maureen Clare Murphy, Richard
Rubin, Eli Ungar, Rachel Weiss, and the members of Not In My Name.
Special thanks go to Tomis Kapitan for his insightful comments on
earlier drafts of Halwani’s two chapters. Special thanks and gratitude
also go to Steven Jones, who read the penultimate drafts of the chapters
and provided incisive and humorous comments on their substance and
style.
Tomis Kapitan expresses his gratitude to several people who, in one
way or another, have helped him understand the various issues discussed
in this book, notably, Abdul Aziz Aluwaishiq, Ali Abunimah, Robert
Ashmore, Rejae Busailah, Roger Heacock, Rima Kapitan, Selma Mahdi,
Georg Meggle, Roy Pearson, Glenn Perry, Igor Primoratz, Erich Schulte,
Jeffrey Snapper, Herman Stark, Khaled Taha, Ghada Talhami, and, above
all, Orayb Najjar. A tremendous thanks is due to Raja Halwani for
his conception of this project, his instructive comments on drafts of
Kapitan’s chapters, and his marvelous attention to detail.

viii
Maps

1947

Acre
PASSIA Haifa
Nazareth

Jenin
Mediterranean
Sea
Nablus

Tel Aviv
Jaffa
Ramallah
Jericho
Jerusalem
Bethlehem
ea
Dead S

Gaza Hebron

Khan Yunis
Beersheba

Negev

Proposed Jewish State

Proposed Arab State

Internationally administered
'Corpus Separatum'
of Jerusalem

Map A United Nations 1947 Partition Plan

Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)

ix
x

1949

Acre
PASSIA Haifa
Nazareth

Mediterranean Jenin
Sea
Nablus

Tel Aviv
Jaffa
Ramallah
Jericho
Jerusalem
Bethlehem
ea
Dead S

Gaza
Hebron

Khan Yunis
Beersheba

Negev

Proposed Jewish State

Arab territory
Territories seized by Israel
beyond the area for the
proposed Jewish State

Map B The Rhodes Armistice Lines

Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)
 xi

Jewish-owned land, 1947

State of Israel according to
the Armistice Agreement, 1949
Palestinian villages depopulated
in 1948 and 1967 and razed by
Israel
The West Bank and Gaza Strip

Haifa

Nazareth

PASSIA

Nablus

Tel Aviv
Jaffa

Jerusalem

Gaza
Hebron

Beersheba
0 30 km
© Jan de Jong

Map C Depopulated Palestinian Villages

Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)
xii

Hama
Latakia Neirab
Number of registered refugees in camps
near Aleppo
100 000
50 000
10 000
5 000

PASSIA Homs
Registered refugees in camps
Registered refugees outside camps
Total registered refugees (in & out)

X Destroyed camp
Nahr Al-Bared
Unofficial camp Tripoli
Beddawi
(RR = Registered Refugees)
LEBANON
RR=11.5% of total
Total numbers of refugees are based on population (2002)
UNWRA data, as of 30 December 2003. RR in = 223,956
Camp populations are based on UNWRA RR out = 170,576
data as of 30 June 2003. RR Total = 394,532
Baalbek
Source: Public Information Office, UNWRA HQ, Gaza. Dbayyeh Wavell
Mar Elias Dikwaneh
X (Tal Az-Zaatar)
Beirut
Shatila X Jisr Al-Pasha

Burj Al-Barajneh
ea

Yarmouk
nS

Saida
ea

Ein Al-Hilweh Damascus

Jaramana
an

Mieh Mieh Sbeineh Kabr Essit

err

Khan Khan Dannoun

dit

X Nabatieh Ashieh
Me

Tyre Al-Bass

Burj Ash-Shemali SYR IA N A R A B

Rashidiyyeh R EPU B L IC
RR = 2.7% of total
population (2002)
Golan
Heights RR in = 120,865
RR out = 292,962
GA Z A S T R IP WEST BANK RR Total = 413,827
Haifa
RR=32.6% of total Dera'a
RR = 84.5% of total population (2002) Emergency
population (2002) Dera'a
RR in = 179,541
RR in = 484,563 RR out = 485,705
RR Total = 665,246 Irbid
RR out = 438,111
RR Total = 922,674
Jenin Husn
(Azmi Al-Mufti)
Jabalia
Shati (Gaza Beach) Tulkarem Nur Shams Souf
Far'a
Nablus Jerash (Gaza)
Camp No. 1 Balata
Askar Sukhneh
Beqa'a
Nuseirat Tel Aviv Zarqa
WEST BANK
Bureij Marka
Deir (Schneller, Hitteen)
Deir Ammar Jalazoun Amman
Al-Balah Amman New Camp
Ramallah Hay Al-Amir
Al-Maghazi Ein Sultan Hassan (Hinikeen) (Wihdat)
Al-'Amari
Qalandia Jabal
Jericho Al-Hussein
Khan Younis
Shu'fat Akabat Jabr JORDAN
Jerusalem RR=34.8% of total
Aida Beit Jibrin Ma'daba
Rafah ISRAEL population(2002)
ea

Dheisheh
RR in = 307,785
Dead S

Talbiyeh
Arroub RR out = 1,432,385
Gaza
Hebron RR Total = 1,740,170
GAZA Fawar
STRIP 0 25 50 75 km

Map: PASSIA, 2004

Map D UNRWA Palestinian Refugee Camps

Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)
 xiii

E
West Bank

Jenin

ISRAEL Effective Palestinan civil control

MEHOLA Security perimeters established

by the IDF around Palestinian
TULKAREM population centers
Israeli-designated security cantons
Nablus (Jenin, Tulkarm, Kalkilya, Nablus,
Kalkilya Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron)
ALFEI
MENASHE Israeli settlement
Green Line
IVER

West Bank
MA’ALE IDF checkpoint
R

ARIEL EPHRAIM
DAN

Proposed Israeli security barrier

JOR

Security zones outlined by Israeli

Prime Minister Sharon

UPPER PSAGOT
MODI’IN

Ramallah
GIV’AT Jericho
ZE’EV

MA’ALE
Jerusalem ADUMIM

BETAR Bethlehem
EFRAT

KERYAT DEAD
Hebron ARBA SEA

Gaza
Strip
Gaza

ISFAEL

Khan
Yunis

Rafah
0 20 KM

20 KM

Map E West Bank Jewish Settlements

Source: Reproduced from The Foundation for Middle East’s web site (www.fmep.org)
xiv

0 20 km

Jenin
GANIM

PASSIA

Tulkarem
SHAVEI
SHOMRON

Nablus ELON MOREH

Qalqilya
ALFEI
MENASHE
ARIEL
MA'ALE
EPHRAIM

RIMONIM

PSAGOT

Ramallah
GIV'AT
ZE'EV
Jericho

MA'ALE
Jerusalem ADUMIM KALYA
ISRAEL
Bethlehem
ETZION
BLOC
e
Lin
en

Dead Sea
Gre

KIRYAT ARBA

Hebron

Area A - Palestinian cities

Area B - Palestinian villages

Area C - Israeli settlement,

military areas and state lands
Main Israeli settlements

Map F Oslo II
Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)
 xv

Map G The Israeli Barrier in the West Bank

Source: Reproduced from PASSIA’s web site (www.passia.org)
xvi

Map H The Feasibility of the Palestinian Refugees’ Return

Source: Reproduced by permission of Salman Abu Sitta
Notes: The location of the present built-up area shows that over 90% of the sites of Palestinian
villages remains vacant. Thick black lines define high Jewish density ‘natural regions.’
Medium and thin lines indicate corresponding lesser Jewish density (Salman Abu Sitta).