Living here separate and together
MAIN PRINCIPLES
The system of government in both Israel and Palestine will be democratic. Citizens of both states will enjoy equal rights in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Borders will be set between the two states, but they will be open. Israelis will be allowed to live in Palestine as Israeli citizens and Palestinian residents. Palestinians will be allowed to live in Israel as Palestinian citizens and Israeli residents
Two states should be established in this region between the Jordan and the sea – two independent, sovereign states, within the June 1967 borders, in full control of their territories, without one people occupying or controlling the other
This land, between the sea and the Jordan River, is one geographical and historical unit, which both people consider their homeland. You can draw borders in it, but you cannot put up walls. Instead of dividing it, both nations should share it
Past wrongs, from 1948 to present, will be amended, but without creating new wrongs. A joint mechanism will be established to ensure the restitution of property lost or confiscated as the result of the conflict or compensation
Jerusalem will remain one city open to all – Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Muslims and Christians. It will be the capital of both states, under shared sovereignty and it will be administered under a joint municipal council
The two states will share institutions of a confederate nature, to decide on joint matters. The two states will decide on the powers granted to these institutions and the issues to be managed by each state individually.
The two states will be committed to the security of their citizens and to the security of the other state. Each state will have independent security forces, which will cooperate closely and jointly protect the external borders of the shared land
WHO WE ARE
The Two States, One Homeland initiative was born out of a series of meetings started by Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport and Palestinian activist Awni Al-Mashni. Meron Rapoport, born in Tel Aviv, worked in Yedioth Aharonoth, Haaretz and in the Israeli Educational Television, and writes for different media channels in Israel and abroad. Awni al-Mashni, born in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem, is a Fatah political activist, graduate of the Bethlehem University and columnist in the Palestinian press.
These meetings were joined by a line of Israeli and Palestinian activists who formulated our Statement of Principles over the course of many meetings.
We consider ourselves one shared movement, divided into two separate branches – one Israeli and one Palestinian – both jointly and severally.
At present, the movement is growing fast and already numbers thousands of members. The Two States, One Homeland concept has already been established as an integral part of any discussion on the options for ending the conflict.