Muammar Qadaffi gets op-ed space in the NY Times to call for a binational state. Look at what he uses as a weapon against the two-state solution:
It is important to note that the Jews did not forcibly expel Palestinians. They were never “un-welcomed.”
I'm going to update six arguments against the one-state solution Qadaffi refers to as "Isratine."
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There's no shame in the concept of a Jewish state for the Jewish people.
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The one-state solution negates Palestinian national aspirations just as it negates Jewish national aspirations.
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Jews and Arabs don't share the language, history, religion, culture, or values required to make a bi-national effort work. Case in point: without an iron-fisted ruler, Yugoslavia disintegrated along ethnic lines and "Balkanization" became part of the world's lexicon.
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Among themselves, the Arabs have no history of successful multi-ethnic states. Sectarian violence continues in Iraq, and Lebanon's no blueprint. With Christian Arabs are fleeing the Mideast, what's to inspire Israeli confidence?
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Gadaffi doesn't mention it, but I must add that the South African model doesn't apply. Among the many differences between the two regions, Benny Pogrund points out that South Africa's blacks and whites had a cohesive leadership who could sell power-sharing to their constituencies, as well as economic interdependence. This is certainly not the case with Israelis and Palestinians.
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With who would Israel negotiate a one-state solution anyway? The Fatah-Hamas rivalry points to a three-state solution.
