Citizens Proposal for a Border between Israel and Palestine
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  • Position Statements
    • 2011 >
      • Har Homa C
      • Giv’at Hamatos
      • The Question of Recognizing Israel as a Jewish State
      • Let Us Prepare for Two States
      • Can Palestinians Recognize Israel’s “Jewish Character”?
      • Next Steps: Negotiating an Initial Border
      • Etzion Bloc Expansion: Israeli Overreaching
      • Israel’s Tussle with Europe
    • 2012 >
      • Time to Negotiate the Northern and Southern Sectors of the Israeli-West Bank Border
      • President Peres and Dr. Ashrawi: Thank You for Staying on Track
      • Playing the Victim Card Will Not Bring Peace
      • Negotiations By the Parties
      • The World Should Help the Palestinian Hunger Striker
      • ...and only afterwards move to discuss the topic of Jerusalem
      • A Question of Accountability
      • Israel Twisting in the Wind
      • Netanyahu: Too Big for His Britches
      • Netanyahu's "Israeli Comfort"
      • How Shaul Mofaz Can Jump-Start the Peace Process
      • Netanyahu on the Brink
      • Time for Taking Stock
      • Israel in Wonderland
      • Whatever Happened to the Quartet?
      • The Palestinians Want to Negotiate
      • A Time for Hope and a Call for Restraint
      • Israel Can Win in Gaza, But Not Now
      • Congratulations to the New State of Palestine!
      • Security and Borders: Both Required for Peace
    • 2013 >
      • It Is Up to Israel to Restart Peace Negotiations
      • Israel and Palestine: Changing the Terms of Agreement
      • The Knesset Bill to Increase the Number of Women that Elect the Chief Rabbis Is Important for Jewish Women
      • Proposal on Governance of the Holy Basin
      • Time for Netanyahu to Reach Across the Aisle
      • Tzipi Livni's Challenge
      • Women Should Be Free to Pray at the Wailing Wall
      • Proposed Highway through the Jordan Valley Will Backfire on Israel
    • 2014 >
      • Secretary Kerry, Please Beware of Israel’s Stalling Tactics
      • A Proposal on the Issue of Palestinian Recognition of Israel as a Jewish State
      • Proposed “Jewish State” Law a Threat to Israel’s Democracy
      • Journaling: Hope and Despair - Seven Weeks In
      • Netanyahu's War
    • 2015 >
      • We Should Applaud Herzog and Livni for Reclaiming Zionism
      • The Next Israeli Government
      • West Bank Citizenry and Receipt of Individuals of Palestinian Origin
      • What Next for Israel?
      • Palestinian statehood
      • Mischief in the Trade Legislation would Hinder Progress
      • What Next for America?
      • Could American Firms Choose to Gradually Disinvest from Israel?
      • Boycotting Israel is not anti-Semitism
    • 2016 >
      • Isaac Herzog's Diplomatic Initiative: Can This Detour Be Reframed Into a Road to Two States?
      • The Choice of Friedman as Envoy to Israel Is a Challenge to the Soul of American Judaism
      • America’s Abstention at the UN: Well Played!
      • Lapid: A New Leader for Israel?
    • 2017 >
      • Outcomes of SC Resolution 2334
      • Release the Tapes of the Noni Affair
      • Yair Lapid: A Strong Leader for a Secure Israel
      • Bill to Annex E-1: A Knife in the Heart of the Two-State Solution
      • Thus Endeth the Jewish State
      • CP Suspending Operation
    • 2019 >
      • Return to Two States
      • ​Benny Gantz Can Do Better than Pander to the Settlers
      • The Joint List Should Join the Government
    • 2020 >
      • Israel's Moment of Opportunity
      • Trump’s Unfair Middle East Plan Leaves Nothing to Negotiate
  • Resources
  • About the Authors

President Peres and Dr. Ashrawi: Thank You for Staying on Track

February 9, 2012

We at the Citizens Proposal want to express our appreciation to Israeli President Shimon Peres and to PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi for keeping the issue of borders squarely on the table of foreign policy choices.

Speaking at a special plenum of the Knesset on February 8 honoring its 63 birthday, Peres said that a new future must be outlined with a Jewish State with “safe borders” next to an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state. He spoke of the “painful decisions” that Israel would have to make to achieve that goal. Otherwise, he said, Israel will become a “borderless state of two peoples, which means an ongoing fight between two peoples.”

Israel is facing the unpleasant prospect of a Palestinian unity deal between the PLO and Hamas, which Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking at that same meeting, called a turn away from peace and towards embracing a terrorist organization. In that context, Peres’s affirmation of the need to negotiate a border should be seen as a positive alternative for Palestinians’ national future.

On the same day, Dr. Ashrawi spoke at a political briefing at the PLO headquarters in Ramallah with lawmakers and officials from Luxemburg and the Netherlands. She noted that the year 2012 would be “a decisive year” that would determine whether a two-state solution could be achieved. She added, “The Palestinians will continue to seek United Nations membership and the multilateral approach to be recognized globally on a land with definite borders, culture, history, institutions and the right to self-determination.”

We continue to believe that securing a negotiated border between Israel and the West Bank is the best way forward, even in the midst of the current chaotic situation with threats from Iran, instability in Syria, the uncertain deal between the PLO and Hamas, and the diplomatic maneuvering at the UN. It is a realistic objective that is within the power of Israel and the Palestinian authority to achieve regardless of anything else that happens to take place.

Moreover, once a border in agreed to and the Palestinian state becomes a reality, all the other issues will become far more manageable.  
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