J Street believes that reaching a sustainable two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is both a fundamental American interest and essential to the survival and security of Israel as a democracy and home for the Jewish people.
The contours of a two-state solution are well known. President Clinton outlined the parameters in 2000, and progress on this basis was made in Taba in 2001 and under Israeli Prime Minister Olmert in 2008. Various initiatives have spelled out the principles and even the details.
The two-state solution has been American policy across four administrations and has been endorsed by each of the most recent Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Polls throughout the years have also consistently shown majority support for the two-solution among both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
The outlines of an agreement are by now well-known and widely accepted: Borders based on the 1967 lines with agreed reciprocal land swaps allowing Israeli incorporation of a majority of settlers, as well as Palestinian viability and contiguity; a division of Jerusalem that is based on demographic realities, establishes the capitals of the two states, and allows freedom of access and respect for all holy sites; robust security arrangements; and a resolution of the refugee issue outside the borders of Israel with compensation (and some small absorption into Israel for family reunification).
Unfortunately, time and political will in the region are in short supply, and it appears to many observers that the window of opportunity for achieving a two-state solution is nearly closed. It is J Street’s position that the parties themselves have proven incapable of reaching a resolution to the conflict through direct, unmediated negotiations. This has been the lesson of the past 18 years and of the efforts of even the most well-intentioned of national leaders.
Strong and active American leadership in the diplomatic process is essential, as is placing the negotiations into a regional framework that attempts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and all of its neighbors.
Barack Obama is most likely the last American President who will have the opportunity to lead the way toward a two-state solution, and he seems well aware of the urgency and the difficulty of the task. We support his early engagement, his appointment of Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, and his insistence on an immediate and total freeze on settlements as a critical step toward resolving the conflict.
Providing President Obama with support as he pursues the two-state solution will be J Street’s number one priority in 2009 and 2010.
