The Cafe

One state, two states or even three states?

From Ramallah, we ask if Palestinians can overcome their divisions and bring more than 60 years of occupation to an end.
Last Modified: 17 Jan 2013 12:06

Palestinians have lived under occupation for more than 60 years. Their homes and land have been stolen and their status reduced to that of refugees in their own country.

But instead of uniting against a common enemy, Palestinians are divided, between the Islamists in Hamas who rule Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) that governs the West Bank.

Many accuse the PA of being Israeli stooges and their mismanagement of everything from unemployment, sky-rocketing prices, water rights, taxation and border issues have made them deeply unpopular. Postponing elections simply prolongs the crisis.

The paradox is that Ramallah, the unofficial capital of the occupied territories, is booming, with aid money pouring in to assuage the world's guilty consciences.

Many worry that this is breeding an aid-dependent culture and further weakening Palestinian resistance.

And what hope is there of any permanent solution? Will the Palestinians continue to live in limbo, in one state, two states, or even three states?

 

 

Click here for more on The Cafe.


212

Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
Country
City
Organisation
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Once a bustling haven, Elasha Biyaha has almost become a ghost town as residents flee.
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
join our mailing list