Re-Partition of Palestine: Toward a Peaceful Solution in the Middle East
| Author | Hany A. Hilmyy |
| Published date | 01 June 1972 |
| Date | 01 June 1972 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002234337200900203 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Re-Partition
of
Palestine:
Toward
a
Peaceful
Solution
in
the
Middle
East
*
HANY
A.
HILMYY
Jawaharlal
Nehru
Unievrsity,
New
Delhi
International
Peace
Research
Institute,Oslo
1.
Introduction
This
is
a
proposal
for
a
peaceful
settlement
of
the
Arab-Israeli
conflict
presented
to
both
the
Israelis
and
the
Arabs.
The
fact
that
it is
proposed
by
an
Egyptian
should
not
disqualify
it.
Taking
into
consideration
the
basic
interests
of
both
sides
is
a
prime
criterion.
In
any
case,
the
final
judgement
should
be
left
to
the
third
party.
It
is
futile
to
blame
one
side
or
the
other
for
the
present
impasse.
The
major
task
here
is
to
reconcile
the
two
incompatible
claims
of
the
antagonists.
Certainly,
the
only
way
open
for
settlement
is
to
compromise
maximum
de-
mands
on
both
sides,
in
return
for
a
relatively
balanced
solution.
The
Palestinians
claim
that
they
were
forced
to
evacuate
their
country -
which
they
had
inhabited
since
time
immemorial -
under
armed
threats
accompanied
by
panic
and
fear.
They
also
claim
that
they
have
been
deprived
of
exercising
their
right
of
self-determination,
af-
ter
having
been
deprived
of
their
right
of
sovereign
existence.
Finally,
they
insist
that
nothing
could
compensate
for
their
returning
to
Palestine
and
enjoying
full
rights
as
free
citizens.
In
addition,
the
Arab
States
claim
that
the
Zionists
occupied
Palestine
and
they
would
not
stop
short
of
realizing
their
expansionist
goal
of
establishing
the
Jewish
Empire
(Greater
Israel)
from
the
Nile
to
the
Euphrates.
More-
over,
the
Zionists
are
accused
of
being
a
beach-head
of
western
imperialism
in
the
area,
and
an
instrument
to
obstruct
the
Arab
national
movement
in
its
drive
for
complete
political
and
economic
independence
and
unity.
On
the
other
hand,
the
Zionists
claim
that
Palestine
is
their
Promised
Land.
They
had
lived
there
before
anyone
else,
but
were
forced
to
leave
the
country
2000
years
ago.
They
also
claim
that
the
Arabs
came
to
Palestine
only
with
the
Islamic
conquest
in
the
seventh
centu-
ry.
Therefore,
the
Zionists,
and
subsequently
all
the
Jews,
are
entitled
to
establish
a
Jewish
State
in
Palestine.
The
Jews
had
been
suffer-
ing
all
over
the
world;
in
order
not
to
face
another
mass
extermination,
they
should
have
a
state
of
their
own.
Finally,
to
Palestine
they
have
brought
Western
civilization,
advanced
technology,
and
indeed
Democracy;
they
have
made
the
desert
bloom.
2.
Background
to
the
problem
The
main
points
from
ancient
history
are:
1)
The
first
known
inhabitants
of
’Palestine
were
Arabs
from
the
Arabian
peninsula.
They
lived
there
for
a
long
time
before
the
Hebrews
arrived
in
Palestine.
2)
The
Arabs
never
left
Palestine,
while
the
Hebrews
never
lived
there
permanently.
Moreover,
the
Hebrews
never
controlled
all
the
Palestinian
territory.
3)
Nobody
can
deny
the
historical
and
reli-
gious
attachments
of
the
Jews
to
Pales-
tine.
The
14th
and
15th
centuries
saw
consider-
able
numbers
of
Jews
come
to
Palestine
to
es-
cape
maltreatment
in
Europe,
especially
in
France
and
Spain.
During
that
period,
’Pales-
tine
was
under
the
Mamluk
rule
of
Egypt.
The
Ottoman
Empire
invaded
the
area
in
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