THE TWO-STATE DELUSION

Conflict resolution expert Padraig O’Malley argues that a two-state solution is no longer viable in Israel, and a new paradigm for peace is needed.

Settlements. Right of return. The rise of Hamas. Jerusalem. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish State. These are just some of the political obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. Then there are the psychological obstacles: the irreconcilable national narratives, the deadly complacency, and the corrosive mistrust developed over decades of failed summits—which each side blames on the other. But even if all of these obstacles were overcome, and an agreement reached, how would it be implemented? Who would pay for the relocation of hundreds of thousands of settlers, for example? And how would Palestine develop a viable economy? These are just some of the questions reconciliation expert Padraig O’Malley asks and answers in The Two-State Delusion.

After examining each issue, and speaking with Palestinians and Israelis as well as negotiators directly involved in past summits, O’Malley has arrived at the conclusion that a two-state solution is no longer a viable path to peace. Such an agreement is unlikely to ever be reached, he argues, due to the gridlock on each and every issue—which only increases as Hamas gains ground over the more moderate Fatah, and the Israeli government shifts ever right-ward—as well as other factors like the procedures at the negotiating table, and the mindsets of the negotiators themselves. He then shows how, even under the perfect confluence of circumstances where this agreement was reached, it would be nearly impossible to implement given the staggering costs, Palestine’s political disunity and failing economy, rapidly changing demographics, global warming’s effect on the water supply, and more. In this revelatory, hard-hitting, thorough, and unflinching book, O’Malley argues that the time for a two-state solution has passed. We must consider new frameworks for reconciliation if there is ever to be lasting peace between Palestine and Israel.

Padraig O’Malley is the John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Professor of Peace and Reconciliation, McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and expert on divided societies. Among his award winning books are Shades of Difference: Mac Maharaj & the Struggle for South Africa (Viking 2007), which features an Introduction by Nelson Mandela, and Biting at the Grave (Beacon Press 1990), one of The New York Times’ ten best books of 1990. Born in Dublin, he has written extensively about the conflict in Northern Ireland, and facilitated meetings for more than thirty years that helped open the way for negotiations to end the conflict. O’Malley has also contributed directly to reconciliation efforts in Iraq, in particular the 2008 Helsinki Agreement, signed by thirty-seven political leaders and tribal sheiks. He now runs The Forum for Cities in Transition, working to promote peace, encourage civic participation and promote economic development in divided cities from Mitrovica (Kosovo) to Kirkuk (Iraq) to Jerusalem. The founding editor of the New England Journal of Public Policy, O’Malley’s numerous awards include the Association for Conflict Resolution’s Peacemaker Award (2010) and the Liberal International Prize for Freedom (2008).