Faith in a Two-State Solution! Oxford Union debate passes motion 95 to 76

Last week the Union debated the motion "This House has no faith in the two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict."

I spoke in opposition to the motion and began my speech by making it clear that you cannot be pro-Israel without being pro-Palestinian.
I set out to prove that a two state solution was the only viable solution for Israelis and Palestinians both theoretically and practically and the only solution that those who truly have the best interests of Israel and the Palestinians at heart can support.

As Zionists, we believe in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination but this cannot be at the expense of the Palestinian's right to self-determination. Not only do they have this right but it is desirable and urgent. If the current demographic trend continues, by 2019, Jews will be a minority in the tiny area of land from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. If we do not reach a solution, Israel will have to decide very quickly what it values more: being a Jewish or democratic state.

If it chose to remain a Jewish state, it would be unable to offer equality in treatment and equality before the law to the majority of its citizens. It would result in a large, vocal, disenfranchised majority living under a government and flag they would not identify with nor feel any connection to. But if it prioritised the democratic aspect of it's nature then it may counteract the principles of it's founding as a safe haven for the Jews and it would be turned into a slaughterhouse. Think of the massacre of 67 Jews in Hebron in 1939 but in a state where there are now 7 million Jews.

In the past two-state solutions have come close to passing and will come close again in the future. A desire for change amongst younger Israelis and Palestinians, a concern for the economy, housing and cottage cheese and the near misses we have had in the past all mean that sooner or later politicians will have the confidence and strength to oppose the vocal minorities who defy the call to peace and say enough is enough: two states, two peoples, signed, sealed and delivered.

The motion was defeated by 95 votes to 76.

The majority of students who had come along to listen to this debate were surprised to hear a debate about peace rather than a scuffle between incompatible narratives. For the Jewish students in the audience, what they had heard all sounded very familiar. These arguments echo the position of the majority of the British Jewish community and the position that many communal organisations, including UJS, have taken for years.

Furthermore, they echo something Jewish students have been examining and arguing for the last few weeks: the 'Liberation' campaign. Some may not agree with the presentation of the campaign but what last week's debate has proved is the message works.

I walked out of the debating chamber as part of a side who were portrayed as reasonable and moderate. The proposition left portrayed as radical, irrational and an obstacle for peace.

Supporting Israel need no longer be the exception. It can be the norm.

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