The solution to the conflict originated by Israel is a Palestinian State.

By Agustin Velloso

".....3. Another proposal: a Palestinian state and nothing else.

It seems that the position held by Hamas is not very far from the one held by supporters of the one State solution. The 1948 crime does not disappear even if the aggressor accepts the list of demands from Hamas. For the resistance movement this would be a first step towards achieving justice, but everyone knows that Palestinians despite having right on their side are helpless.

Today, Hamas cannot answer the question: why is Israel going to accept the list of our demands under current circumstances? But Hamas is confident Israel will do so in the future: "Our fight to redress the material crimes of 1948 is scarcely begun, and adversity has taught us patience. As for the Israeli state and its Spartan culture of permanent war, it is all too vulnerable to time, fatigue and demographics."

If the core of the Palestinian problem is the robbery of a people's land, plus the expulsion of its owners, justice is not achieved by allowing the thief to keep half of it, as the two States solution implies. Much less is justice served by forcing the victims to share it with the thief, making them forget the past and abandon hope of a future free from oppression.

Achieving justice means a return to the status quo ante, to amend the damage done and to compensate the victims. Thus: Israel should apologise, end the blockade and the occupation at once and dissolve itself as soon as possible. This does not have to entail any loss of life and bring chaos if done in an appropriate way.

At the same time the Palestinian State would be established in the historical land of Palestine through suitable measures: the return of refugees, a constitution, drawing of borders, admission to United Nations bodies, democratic elections and so on.

The UN and the countries that have been involved in the Palestinian problem, mainly the United Kingdom, should compensate the Palestinians and pay to making their State a reality until it becomes self-sufficient.

How much can this enormous operation cost? Nothing those countries could not afford to achieve justice and avoid a new war in the Middle East and even beyond.

Israeli citizens with passports issued by other States should go to these countries with their families. Israelis descending from Jews living in Palestine before the Zionist immigrations could - by right - remain in Palestine.

The United States, the largest and most powerful ally of Israel for decades, could easily accept a substantial number of Israelis and grant them US citizenship.

How many millions of dollars would this process cost? Not as many as those spent by the US supporting Israel against the Palestinians.

How long could it take? Much less than the sixty years that Palestinian refugees have been languishing in despair in camps far from their homes.

After a reasonable time, the Palestinian State, just like any other country, could accept immigrants - Jewish amongst them - who could become full citizens according to the laws of the State. "