Debate Entitled “Should Palestinians Abandon The two state Solution?"

On Saturday September 29th, The Global Voice Hall and the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies with the collaboration of the Birzeit Debating  Society under the supervision of the Philosophy and Cultural Studies department organized a debate entitled “Should Palestinians Abandon The two state Solution?” Ms. Diana Buttu, Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former spokesperson with the Palestine Liberation Organization, was the moderator of this debate which consisted of four panelist: Dr. Magid Shihade, Faculty member at Abu-Lughod of International Studies, Birzeit University, Mr. Ibrahim Shikaki, Economic researcher in the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) resource center at Diakonia office in Jerusalem, Mr. Ammar Hijazi, Representative of Fateh Foreign Relations Commission, and Uri Davis, Member of FATH Revolutionary Council and Palestine National Council. In which they all gave various answering regarding  whether Palestinians should abandon the two state solution.

While Ms. Buttu asked all four Panelist whether the two state solution is dead,  Mr. Hijaz replied that although this solution faces imminent threat; it is not dead and it can still be implemented.  He also claimed that giving a negative connotation to the negotiations is unfair, because they’re negotiating with the enemy in order to gain Palestinians’ rights.  On the other Hand, Mr. Shikaki answered that the two state solution is dead because it undermines Palestinians rights; particularly  the right of return. Dr. Shihade argued that if we look at the most significant issues such as the right of return, and an apology by Israel for what happened in 1948, we come back to Zionism. He further adds that Israel is not willing to let Palestinians establish a state on 20% of Palestine, so we need to shift the question and ask what kind of state Palestinians want to establish? Whereas Dr. Davis affirmed that Palestinians should not abandon the two state solution, as he insisted on implemented all UN resolutions. He claimed that Palestinians should benefit from resolution 181 in implementing the two states solution.

The debate ended with opening the floor for questions with the audience, who asked intriguing questions regarding a three state solution and the pointlessness of negotiating with Israel.