One-state solution

The one-state solution is a proposed approach to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process that envisions a single state within the boundaries of the former Mandatory Palestine. The term one-state reality refers to the view that the current situation in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict amounts to a single de facto political space. The one-state solution is sometimes described as a bi-national state, reflecting the idea that it could provide self-determination to Israelis and Palestinians within a shared state. It is a potential resolution to the conflict through the creation of a unitary, federal or confederate Israeli–Palestinian state, encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories (comprising the West Bank and the Gaza Strip), and potentially the Golan Heights (which is internationally recognised as part of Syria). Perspectives differ: some argue that such a model would alter Israel's identity as a Jewish state and leave the Palestinians without national independence, while others view it as an equitable framework for ending the conflict. An Israeli think tank has analyzed possible one-state models (including a confederation because it differs from two totally separate states). One such model is the unitary state, which would comprise a single government with citizenship and equal rights for every ethnic and religious group in the land, similar to the legal arrangement of the British Mandate for Palestine. Some Israelis advocate a version of this model in which Israel annexes the West Bank (but not the Gaza Strip) and grants Israeli citizenship to all of the Palestinians living there, thereby integrating the region and gaining a larger Arab minority, but remaining a Jewish and democratic state. A second model calls for Israel to annex the West Bank and possibly Gaza and integrate it as a Palestinian autonomous region or regions. A third model involves creating a federal state with a central government and federated districts,...