At a time when President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is stuck, Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, a peace activist and former professor of American Studies at Al-Quds University who lost his job for trying to educate Palestinians about the Holocaust comes with a peace plan proposal to save the day.

The proposal was posted on Dajani’s Facebook account, and the reaction to it had been mostly positive from both sides. It offers out of the box ideas worth considering by both parties. It starts by insisting on mutual recognition. Mohammad’s precondition that Palestinians “accept as legitimate Jewish historical rights in Palestine” is a courageous step forward for Palestinians. 

In response to the Palestinian refugee issue, an Israeli wrote: “The question of ‘right of return’ is critical to any possible peace agreement and this plan deals with it in a way that may be acceptable to both sides.”

• Recognition. Israel will recognize the Holy Land is the homeland of the Palestinian people. Palestine will recognize the Holy Land is the homeland of the Jewish people. Palestinians would accept the legitimacy of Jewish historical rights in Palestine and allow a Jewish minority residing in an independent State of Palestine.

The Palestinians will acknowledge national sovereignty and self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland that put an end to over 1900 years of exile and persecutions. The Israelis will acknowledge national sovereignty and self-determination of the Palestinian people in their ancestral homeland.

• Statehood. A sovereign independent demilitarized State of Palestine will be established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip next to a sovereign independent Jewish state of Israel, ending the occupation of Palestine. Like in the case of Japan and Germany after the Second World War, no standing army was needed, and the funds allocated to military expenditures were channeled into building the economy and the industry making both nations two of the most powerful states today.

• Jerusalem. Both Jews, Christians, and Muslims rightfully view Jerusalem as their most treasured and cherished city. Therefore, while keeping the unity of the city, without walls and barbed wires, the Old City of Jerusalem will be placed under the sovereignty of God – the sacred authority all sides respect. The Government, Parliament (Knesset), and Supreme Court of Israel and Palestine will be seated outside the Old City in West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem respectively. Its affairs would be run on a day-to-day basis by a municipality that represents all Jerusalemites.

Jerusalem is a twin city where the Old City is the sacred city mentioned in holy scriptures and outside its walls is the metropolitan city annexed in the last hundred years, which can be shared as two capitals. The PLO and PA always called for Arab East Jerusalem to be the capital of the State of Palestine. At present, Jerusalem is physically United but is divided demographically, politically, psychologically, and religiously without borders, barbed wires, and checkpoints. It is divided between a de facto and de jure status. This peace plan would grant it both a de facto and de jure status.

• Borders. The permeable borders of Israel and Palestine will be equivalent to pre-1967 borders with mutually agreed-upon adjustments and will guarantee the security and territorial contiguity of both states.

• Refugees. The Palestinian Diaspora displaced by the 1947-48 and 1967 wars will be allowed to exercise their right of return to the State of Palestine. Compensation will be offered to those not choosing to exercise that right. The State of Israel, the Arab oil-producing countries, and the international community will monetarily compensate Palestinians displaced in wars after 1947. The Arab states from which Jews were forced to leave after the 1948 war will compensate those Jews.

• Coexistence. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip will have the right to travel freely and to work in Israel. Israelis will be allowed to move freely and work in the independent Palestinian state.

• Citizenship. Israelis will vote for the Israeli Knesset and Palestinians will vote for the Palestinian parliament. Jewish Palestinians in the State of Palestine and Arab Israelis in the State of Israel have the option to hold dual citizenship. Jews in Palestine will individually have the option of being extraterritorial, subject to Israeli laws. They will be tried by Israeli courts according to Israeli laws.

These Israeli laws would encompass private and criminal law. This arrangement would respect the right of Jews not to be subject to Palestinian laws, except in the field of public and administrative law. Therefore, court cases in Palestine will be judged according to Palestinian laws and court cases in Israel will be judged according to Israeli laws.

• Education. A joint-commission will be created with the task of implementing a peace education curriculum educating people in both countries, about the history of both Jews and Palestinians – together with the meaning and importance of the Holy Land to each community in preparation for the implementation of this plan.

• Implementation. This peace plan will be implemented in stages during a mutually-agreed timetable. This will encourage both parties to honor previous agreement commitments and work on trust and confidence-building measures.

Rationale. Continuing the status quo in the West Bank and Gaza will lead to continual conflict. The status quo is unsustainable: Israel’s denial of Palestinian sovereignty and self-determination violates international law and will gradually undermine the status of the state of Israel in the international arena fueling anti-Semitism globally.

This peace proposal justly solves the most contentious issues of the conflict, including the status of refugees, Jerusalem, borders, and the sovereignty and self-determination rights of Palestinians and Jews throughout the Holy Land.

This proposal fulfills the Zionist dream of Jewish self-determination in Eretz Israel while defusing the legitimate grievances that fuel Palestinian hatred of Zionism. By accomplishing these feats, the drawing of final borders between Israel and Palestine will be far less contentious since borders will merely designate where Israeli and Palestinian security services operate – not hinder Jews and Palestinians from moving in their historical homeland.

With creative thinking and out-of-the-box fresh ideas, the conflict will come to an end. For the Arab and the Muslim world to accept a Jewish state and Jewish self-determination and residential rights in the Holy Land, Zionists must reciprocate by recognizing Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

This reciprocal recognition of sovereignty and self-determination rights in the Holy Land is the premise for Jews and Palestinians to believe once again in compromise, peace, and coexistence.

Some of the reactions to the plan were:

Fawzi Switi: “This proposal is based on good intentions and has many rational aspects but needs more dialogue to take into account the fears and conceptions of each side.”

Franke Wilmer: “Thank you, Mohammed. Let’s do this. Really, it is the only answer and where we will end up, someday. The only question is when, and the longer it takes, the more people will suffer and die. Sooner is better.”

Orna Wiseman: “I’m sure this will generate endless debate. Yet at its most basic, it’s what both societies yearn for. The details will be quite complex, but Jews and Arabs historically have dealt well with complexity. This could be a new Golden Age, based on the Holy Land and not in Iberia.”

Irena Levitan: “This is very fair and reasonable.”

Johnny Simson: “Fair enough. This is a plan that could work.”

Wally Aqhash: “I think its a good plan but its almost impossible without a large movement and needs a body like Europe to promote it and take it to the next level.”

Catherine Hagège: “Thank you, Si Mohammed! I’m in too.”

Fred Maroun: “I LOVE IT!”

The Palestinians who kept their silence are urged to stand behind this bold initiative and not to make it another missed opportunity.

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Professor Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi is Founding Director of Wasatia-Palestine www.wasatia.info. Read other articles by Mohammed.