Huckabee rejects a two-state solution

Posted By Annie Lowrey Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 10:14 AM Share

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential hopeful, has never been known for his foreign-policy prowess. Wonder why?

At a junket hosted by a far-right Israeli religious group, he rejected a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. The two-state solution both Israeli and Palestinian leaders say they want. The two-state solution virtually every U.S. politician, conservative or liberal, supports. The two-state solution essentially the entire world agrees offers the best hope for peace.

EXPLORE:MIDDLE EAST, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, ISRAEL/PALESTINE

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BLUE13326

4:16 PM ET

August 18, 2009

Rob Malley and Hussein Agha

Rob Malley and Hussein Agha recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times declaring the two-state solution pretty much hopeless:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11malley.html?pagewanted=2&ref=opinion

DTFAN

4:28 PM ET

August 18, 2009

A 2 State solution with only 1 State?

It isn't as though the whole would, save Mike Huckabee, is for a two-state solution to the conflict. Let's be honest, if it was that clear this whole mess would have been solved decades ago.

There are a number of problems with a two-state solution:

1. The Palestinians have yet to show that they can govern a territory or police their own people, never the less run a country. They elected Hamas, a terrorist organization to run their government who in turn has attacked it's own people.

2. Why must Israel give up it's land for the Palestinians? Where is Egypt or Saudi Arabia or one of the other allies of the Palestinians? This is more of a screw Israel move than a love of Palestinians move by their allies.

3. What Country in their right mind would give up part of their sovereign territory to a people who has a stated goal of killing them all? Giving the Palestinians sovereign territory at Israel's border is akin to letting Osama bin Laden set up a bomb factory in your back yard. In the long run, this is not only a sure failure as a solution, but also sure to be a threat to peace in the middle east.

- Brian in the Ziplock Bags business, Tx

KIDZIB

7:17 PM ET

August 18, 2009

wow

this comment has so much fail, it's almost hard figuring out where to begin. i suppose with a refutation of each point.

1. palestinians manage the territory they control just fine. it's not up to western european snuff, but it's better than many other parts of the region. palestinians are prevented, however, from ever demonstrating genuine governance due to the fact that they are under military occupation and domination by israel. it's impossible to govern when it takes more than 24 hours to travel from hebron to nablus, a journey that would take a mere hour were there not a series of military checkpoints making travel next to impossible. it is also impossible to govern if you have no control of your land, sea, and air borders, as the hamas "government" in gaza has.

it should further be noted that while hamas has demonstrably "attacked its own people," so has fatah - for decades. this, of course, is the desired outcome of israeli policy toward the two factions.

2. nobody is asking israel to give up its own land - not even hamas anymore! they are demanding a palestinian state built on the pre-1967 borders. this is land that has never been part of israel. if, however, you are claiming that "israel" includes the west bank, east, jerusalem, and gaza, then you're pretty much making a racist argument and i don't see how logic could change your mind.

3. again, the west bank, east jerusalem, and gaza are not sovereign israeli territory. furthermore, it is unreasonable to ponder why israel should surrender control of the occupied areas without a security arrangement in place because israel would never do such a thing and has never been asked to. any negotiated settlement would have to include adequate security provisions for israel in order to win israel's approval. your argument is totally facetious.

hope this helps,

kidzib

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