In his book One Country, Ali Abunimah puts forth a radical proposal toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: that of a single secular-democratic state for both Arabs and Jews. While aspects of his argument have merit, particularly his assertion that the destinies of Jews and Arabs have become inextricably intertwined, Abunimah fails to explain how such a plan could be implemented in a way that is acceptable to both groups. Although the book is thought-provoking in that it challenges the reader to imagine an ideal scenario, I simply did not find his argument convincing or plausible.
As Abunimah himself points out, both sides favor a two-state solution, although many Palestinians support a one-state solution over a two-state solution without full sovereignty of the West Bank and Gaza. For Israelis, only the most radical minority calls for what most equate with the destruction of the State of Israel. The book fails to explain how Abunimah's vision could be implemented in spite of the international consensus on a two-state solution and Israel's overwhelming opposition to losing its status as a Jewish state. He also never addresses how such a state could function in the face of such raw tensions without breeding further violence. Finally, while he shows a certain understanding of Jewish fears and insists on maintaining the Law of Return (which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel), he brushes aside the fear that a state with an Arab majority will fail to truly safeguard Jewish rights. It is possible that it would, but at this point, there is not enough trust between the two communities to give Israeli Jews the security to contemplate taking such a risk.
The book provides a rough sketch of what a single state might look like, encompassing either a federalist system or a binational state with two separate government systems (one unified government with seats allocated to each group and separate ones dedicated to cultural/religious affairs). Here, again, there are problems he does not adequately address. In a federalist scenario, what would stop the two sides from continuing to fight over territory and borders? Abunimah's sketch of a binational state sounds good on the surface, but he is essentially describing a confessional government divided along religious/ethnic lines, which has failed disastrously in countries like Lebanon. Power sharing is certainly possible--Abunimah demonstrates this with his description of the Belgian system--but the current situation, with all its explosive tension, more closely resembles Lebanon at present.
Abunimah claims that the failure of Oslo and Camp David are proof that negotiations along the lines of a two-state solution will always end in an impasse. His logic doesn't work, though: the failure of certain flawed proposals does not preclude the possibility of a better proposal appearing in the future.
Still, there is value in reading this book. Unlike many books on the subject, this one devotes a significant part to painting a detailed picture of what true coexistence might look like. Abunimah's vision is unrealistic as an immediate solution to the conflict, but in the very long term, his ideas may become more relevant. As he points out, the demographics are shifting in such a way that Israel will eventually lose its Jewish majority. When that day comes, Israel will be confronted with a very painful dilemma between remaining a Jewish state or a democracy. Binationalism may someday become Israel's only moral option, and in that case, the framework Abunimah lays out is worth examining.
