Binationalism: one state shared by two nations
One state in which Jews and Arabs are recognised as two national communities with guaranteed shared power, not a majority ruling a minority; the idea behind Brit Shalom and Ihud before 1948.
What happens to Israeli Jews
A home in the whole land without ruling over another people; but without a Jewish majority or state, which most Israeli Jews see as the only guarantee of safety (see 'majority-is-safety').
What happens to Palestinians
Equal standing in the whole land without partition; but Jewish national rights recognised in a land many see as wholly theirs.
What it requires
- Both peoples accepting parity regardless of numbers
- Institutions that guarantee each nation's voice: joint government, vetoes, autonomy in culture and education
- Shared security forces trusted by both
- A way to handle immigration (the Law of Return, the right of return) that neither side sees as a demographic weapon
Who supports it
Brit Shalom ('Covenant of Peace', founded 1925, with Arthur Ruppin, Hugo Bergmann and later Martin Buber) and Ihud ('Union', 1942, led by Judah Magnes and Buber) argued for a binational state with parity; the 1946 Anglo-American Committee recommended a trusteeship leading to a state neither Jewish nor Arab, and UNSCOP's minority report in 1947 proposed a federal state ⚠. Few Arab leaders of the time took it up and most Zionists rejected it; it faded after 1948. Today it survives among some academics and activists on both sides, and in the 'A Land for All' confederation idea (see 'confederation'). No major party runs on it.
What history says
- Belgium's linguistic communities and Switzerland's cantons, as models of shared power
- Lebanon's confessional system, as a warning of how power-sharing can freeze and break down
- Cyprus 1960, a bicommunal constitution that collapsed within three years
The hard questions
- After a century of war, is there enough trust for either side to accept a veto held by the other?
- What happens when the demographic balance shifts?
- Why did Brit Shalom and Ihud find so few partners on the Arab side, and would it be different now?