Israeli-Palestinian confederation: why and how

There will be a need to differentiate between citizenship and permanent residency. Israelis living in the West Bank can vote or be elected in Israel while maintaining permanent residency in the West Bank, provided they adhere to local laws and ordinance; the same is applicable to Palestinians living in Israel, and those living in East Jerusalem in particular. This is not applicable to Israeli Arabs, who will continue to remain Israeli citizens if they so choose and will vote and be elected in the State of Israel.

The Jerusalem reality

Jerusalem is unique in that both Israelis and Palestinians have a special affinity to the city. There are four major factors that attest to the city's uniqueness. First, East Jerusalem houses the largest mixed Jewish-Arab community anywhere in the world, with roughly 328,000 Arabs and 215,000 Israelis. Although the majority of Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, they move freely across the city.

Second, the city's services-roads, electrical grid, communication, and maintenance-are all fully integrated, and there is simply no way that they can be divided. In fact, neither side wants to divide the city, regardless of its final political outcome.

Third, Jerusalem is home to the Jews' holiest shrine, the Western Wall, the third holiest Muslim shrines, the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and the holiest sites in Christianity, within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Both sides do respect each other's religious affinity. The fact that their respective holy shrines are adjacent to one another means there will always be the need to fully collaborate on security.

Fourth, the main contentious issue between the two sides is the political status of the city. Whereas Israel claims that all of Jerusalem, East and West, is the capital of Israel, the Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem must be the capital of their own state. However, given that the city will remain physically united under any circumstances, and that the majority of the population in East Jerusalem is Palestinian, it stands to reason that a collaborative administration must ensue.

Israel will have to accept that the Palestinians will establish their capital in East Jerusalem, while all Israeli Jews living on the east side will remain where they are. In fact, even Trump's so-called "deal of the century" stipulates that the final status of Jerusalem will be negotiated between the sides.

A joint Israeli-Palestinian commission should be established to handle any problem that may arise between the two sections of the city, especially in connection with security, judicial parameters, trade, and the development of joint projects. The nationality of the chairman of the commission should alternate between an Israeli and a Palestinian on an annual or biannual basis, with a clear and well-defined mandate.

Security

For obvious reasons, Israel's national security and the Palestinians' sense of vulnerability are sources of great concern to both sides. Therefore, security collaboration is central to any peace agreement. Even now, there is extensive security collaboration which must be further expanded under the umbrella of a confederation.

While Israel will insist on maintaining its own security forces along the Jordan Valley, Palestinian security forces would join Israeli forces to guard the border with full cooperation of Jordan to prevent the infiltration of terrorists and smuggled weapons. Collaboration on all security matters is essential; Israel will be hard-pressed to make any significant concession unless it is satisfied that its national security will never be compromised.

The Palestinian refugees