Jeffrey Goldberg has posted his interview with Shimon Peres. An excerpt:
JG: You hear this more and more, people talking about the one-state solution. It used to be a radical idea to suggest a two-state solution, now we’re moving toward a discussion — at least on the left, obviously — of a one-state solution. Do you think that the Palestinians and their supporters would ever agree to an end of claims —
SP: There is not a one-state solution; there is only one-state conflict instead of two-people conflict. Look, you have a conflict in Iraq; it’s one state. You have a conflict in Lebanon; it’s one state. You have a conflict in Sudan; it’s one state. Who says that one state puts an end to the conflict? On the contrary, it makes it more dangerous. You have one state in Pakistan. You have one state in Afghanistan.
You can read the rest here.
There can never be a ‘one state solution’. It would end up with a minority of Jews and a majority of Palestinian Arabs. This means that, once again, Jews would not have one tiny corner of the world in which we determine our own security. This can never, ever, be the case again – because we all know that it has been fatal for Jews to be in this situation.
The Palestinian leadership and indeed the Palestinian people have repeatedly made it clear that they will not ‘accept’ any Jewish presence in the region. Doesn’t matter if Israel gets reduced to the size of a postage stamp – it would still not be ‘tolerated’. Anyone who doubts this should read the official Hamas Charter.
Personally, I think that if the Palestinians genuinely want a state of their own, a good first step would be to STOP supporting terrorism. Somehow I don’t see that happening. Palestinians hate Israel MORE than they want a state of their own. After all, one has been on offer in 1936, 1948, 2000 and 2001. And each time, the Palestinians rejected it – even when at Taba and Camp David Israel offered them all they were demanding.