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Reem Mohammed
Global Issues
Professor Waseda-Hida
23 Sept 2014
Thesis: A one-state solution that is composed of a secular, democratic state that retains a
Palestinian and Israeli identity, as well allow the Palestinian refugees the right of return, is the
only solution for Israel-Palestine.
Jerusalem is an important city for both Palestinians and Jews. A unified state would thus
mean both peoples can equally access the city. Israel has currently been in control of Jerusalem,
since the 1967 War. Officially, East Jerusalem is recognized as Palestinian territory however, in
1980 the Israeli Knesset introduced the Jerusalem Law which declared Jerusalem (East and
West) as the unified capital of Israel (Quraishy 7).The annexation and Israeli settlement
policies have led to land expropriations and population displacement among Palestinian
Christians and Muslims throughout Jerusalem (Emmett 17). Israeli sentiment and policies have
shown that the majority of Israelis believe that Jerusalem is theirs. Israeli policy has been to
completely control all of Jerusalem and transform it from a multicultural and multi-religious
city into a predominantly Jewish city (Quraishy 7). It is unjust to expel people out of the their
homes, as well as deny others access to the city, in order to create a demographic Jewish
majority. A unified Jerusalem, under a democratic and secular state, would allow Christians,
Jews, and Muslims equal access to the holy land. For each of the three Abrahamic religions,
Jerusalem holds a special place, for example Jews see Jerusalem as the city where David
established his capitalChristians see it as the city where Jesus taught, died, and was

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resurrectedMuslims look to the city as the place from where Muhammad made his mystical
nocturnal journey into heaven (Emmett 19). Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right
and Israels force judaization of a multi-religious city has only led to the unjust treatment and
occupation of the Palestinians in Jerusalem; it also forbids Palestinians residing outside of
Jerusalem access to their holy sites. Jerusalem cannot be unified under Israels control, in order
to have a truly unified capital, there must be a unified state, where Jews, Muslims, and Christians
can be free to practice their religion freely and visit the holy land.
Equal access to water would also be another issue that would if solved, if there was a
one-state in Israel/Palestine. Water for Palestinians is scarce but, for Israelis there is an
abundance of it. Israel controls all of the water resources in the territory, which limits what
Palestinians may be able to use. Palestinians consume about 70 liters (of water) a day per
person which is below the 100 liters capita the World Health Organization recommends; in
some areas it is even 20 liters per day (Amnesty International 4). Israelis, on the other than,
consume 300 liters a day per person (Amnesty International 4). The Israeli army has been
responsible for limiting the Palestinians water supply. In some areas soldiers would go in and
destroy water facilities such as rainwater harvesting cisterns and fill them with gravel and
cement to prevent their repair (Amnesty International 2). Israels control of the water resources
has led many Palestinians to experience shortages, especially during the summer months. Any
Palestinian water source inside the occupied territories is also overexploited by Israel; Israel
uses the Palestinian water sources as a dumping ground for its waste causing damage to the
groundwater resources and the environment (Amnesty International 5). Palestinians deserve
access to clean and running water sources, as it is an international right. Palestinian water
sources that are not destroyed/rationed are usually reserved for Israeli settlers to use instead. In

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the West Bank, there are 500,000 and more settlers who use as much water as or more than the
Palestinian population of some 2.3 million (Amnesty International 5). Israels hold on the
Palestinian water supply is not something it will give up, even if there is a two-state solution as
Israelis Ministry of Agriculture states: "It is difficult to conceive of any political solution
consistent with Israel's survival that does not involve complete, continued Israeli control of the
water and sewerage systems, and of the associated infrastructure (El Houry). Palestinians have a
right to water security and as long as Israel continues occupy the Palestinian territories, it will
not be granted.

Works Cited

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El Houry, Ramzi. "Water for All: A Case for a One-State Solution ." Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 28
Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Emmett, Chad F. "The Status Quo Solution for Jerusalem." Journal of Palestinian Studies 26.2
(2009). Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Quraishy, Samira. "The Judaization of Jerusalem." Middle East Moniter Sept. 2009. Web. 23
Sept. 2014.
"Troubled Waters." Amnesty International . N.p., Oct. 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.