Monday, May 11, 2009
Elder of ZiyonAn Israeli researcher specializing in Arab-Israeli affairs at Bar-Ilan University, Dr Mottie Kedar, asserted on Monday that he would submit to the Israeli Knesset this week a proposal suggesting the establishment of a “Palestinian emirate state.”This is a bit beyond simple autonomy but it is in intriguing idea that could instantly give Palestinian Arabs statehood, the promise of an economy and a much more direct way of taking responsibility for their own lives.
Kedar told local Palestinian radio station “Ar-Raya FM,” which is based in Ramallah, that several Knesset members and party leaders welcomed his idea that he has worked on for some ten years studying the nature of Palestinian-Israeli relations.
“Today I promise both peoples that their complicated question will be solved through this proposal. My proposal suggests the appointment of a king or emir or caliph in each Palestinian city or village, which will have its own systems and its own army. These emirates could become richer than the Gulf states if the Palestinians wake up and invest in the gas reserve near the Gaza beaches."
However, Kedar rejected a withdrawal from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He said Israel would not allow these hilltops to become bases for Hizbullah.
As for Jerusalem, he said it would never be negotiable, and that if any Israeli prime minister were to seriously negotiate over Jerusalem, he would be assassinated immediately because Jerusalem is a red line "burning anyone who comes close to it."
Which means it doesn't stand a chance.
