FMC Blog: Free Speech Zone

Free Muslims to Lead Delegation of Israeli Jews to Gaza

For the first time in recent history a delegation of Palestinian Christians and Muslims traveled to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank to request that they be given equality and to invite Jews on a path to a shared future. On December 26, 2011 a bus load of Palestinians boarded a bus and did the unimaginable by traveling to the Ariel Jewish Settlement which is considered illegal by much of the world. The Palestinians were following in the footsteps of Martin Luther King by traveling in peace to demand equal rights for Palestinians and the removal of the segregation wall that divides both communities. See

http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=251386

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0W36tkaAcC0

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151200

http://www.indynewsisrael.com/jews-palestinians-hold-alternative-conference-in-ariel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdTvN-J3eKM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJIosUGXjnw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdS2516AfX4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAvfWYEJqro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NHldhdl_3g

http://www.freemuslims.org/israel-palestine-task-force.php

For our next event, we will take a delegation of Jews and go to Gaza to seek an end to the conflict and the acceptance if Israelis as partners and countrymen.

Our goal is to reach a detailed plan that can be acceptable to Israelis and Palestinians. We call our method The Best Plans approach where we give Israelis and Palestinians an opportunity to submit their peace plans to a representative audience of Palestinians and Jews.

In addition to working on the Best Plans Approach, the Free Muslims Coalition is proposing a plan based on the American civil rights movement where Palestinian Christians and Muslims are treated equal to Jews in Israel/Palestine.

The approach of the Free Muslims is to work with all segments of Israeli society and in particular right wing Jewish settlers in the West Bank. After spending more than one month in Israel/Palestine, it has become clear that Israelis do not support a two state solution that can be acceptable to Palestinians. It is also clear that Israelis and Palestinians have religious and historical attachments to all of Israel/Palestine. This fact can no longer be ignored and this is why the Free Muslims Coalition traveled to a right wing Jewish Settlement to demand equality for Palestinians and will travel to Gaza to demand an end to the conflict and the acceptance of Israelis as partners and countrymen.

We are developing partners who support a shared future between Palestinians and Israelis. Please support our efforts in the holy land. Contribute online or by mail here: http://www.freemuslims.org/contact.php

Please respond to this article by posting your comment here: http://www.freemuslims.org/blog/?id=166

For more information visit www.freemuslims.org

Contact Kamal Nawash, president@freemuslims.org

The Free Muslims Coalition is organizing a unique peace conference in Jerusalem with Gershon Baskin who will co-host the event with Kamal Nawash.

While most people in the United States have never heard of Gershon Basking, he is now a household name in Israel/Palestine.

Dr. Baskin played an important role in facilitating contacts between Hamas and Israel. Baskin was able to use his contacts with Hamas to bring together people who were unable to connect via official channels of government and diplomacy.

The question is who is Gershon Basking and why did Hamas trust him? "Gershon," as he is admirably known by Palestinians, is an orthodox Jew who is a passionate supporter and protector of Israel. However, unlike many supporters of Israel, he is also a passionate supporter of the Palestinians. Gershon has been fighting for the rights of Palestinians for 20 years. Gershon is usually the first to speak out when Israel takes punitive measures against Palestinians. For example, when Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians or restricts their movement and their ability to earn a living, he is the first to protest.

Gershon is an example that when Palestinians and Israelis show compassion for each other that solutions can be found and disputes resolved. Here is an interview with Gershon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8WZWsDhCw&feature=player_embedded.

When Gershon learned that the Free Muslims Coalition wanted to organize a unique peace conference to allow various proposals for peace to be produced and to compete in the market place of ideas, Gershon offered to help. He and his partner, a Palestinian named Hanna Siniora of the - Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information offered to co-sponsor the event. For them we are grateful.

Like Gershon and Hanna, who support our efforts, we ask that you support our efforts by making a contribution to the peace conference. We need translators and audio equipment. We need your financial support for this project. Please contribute by mail or online.

To contribute electronically do it here: http://www.freemuslims.org/support/donate.php.

To contribute by mail, please send a check to:

Free Muslims Coalition
1050 17^th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036

Conference in Jerusalem

Date: November 14^th, 2011, 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Place: The Ambassador Hotel

Contact:

• Kamal Nawash, 202-776-7190, president@freemuslims.org, www.freemuslims.org; USA
• Doron Tzor +972 544 287 322; doron@ideonea.com; http://www.ideonea.com; Israel

Ten years after September 11

A Muslim perspective

Kamal Nawash

I will never forget the morning of September 11, 2001. My sister was living with me and I had just walked into the living room after getting dressed. My sister was watching the news and she said it appears a plane hit one of the towers. I saw a fire from one of the towers but the event was yet to be dramatic. I walked to the kitchen to make coffee and seconds later I heard my sister scream "oh my God a plane just hit the second tower." I immediately sat down as if I became paralyzed. Minutes later, my building shook. I live near the Pentagon in the tallest residential building in the Washington DC area. We were all scared. I remember climbing down 26 floors for fear of getting into the elevators. The shaking was the third plane striking the Pentagon.

At that time I was the first Muslim and Arab American to be nominated by the Republican Party to run for public office in Virginia. Initially, I was not sure who committed the terrorist act but I knew Muslim and Arab organization needed to respond immediately with condemnation.

After I got myself together, I ran over to the offices of one of the American Muslim organizations. I wanted them to contact the other Muslim organizations and ask them to come out with a strong condemnation of the terror attacks. I offered to write them a press release.

I started calling other Muslim organization to ask that they offer strong condemnation. They asked me why were I assuming that Muslims did the attack? Well, as it turned out, Muslims did perpetrate 9-11.

As to my political career, I suspected it was over and my suspicions were confirmed when all my volunteers quit and never showed up again. I was left by myself in my campaign office with campaign stickers and signs but no campaign.

Prior to September 11, my routine included going house to house knocking on doors asking people to vote for me. This was particularly difficult because I am naturally shy and I needed someone with me. I recall that two or three days after the attacks, a17 year girl named Aisha called me up saying she wanted to help me and after I explained my routine she said that she would knock on doors with me. I said Great, please come over. What showed up was an ultra orthodox Muslim girl from Pakistan who covered her hair and wore a black robe. When I saw her, I thought "oh my God, that is all I need." I used every excuse in the book not to go with her and later she figured it out and even offered to take off her scarf.

By the third day, I said to myself "I can't just sit here in fear feeling sorry for myself." I decided to go out knocking on doors again. I was surprised when people treated me so kindly. They felt compassion for me. I remember receiving a call from the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Vance Wilkins, who offered to help me in any way he could and he did. I will always hold him in the highest regard.

Several days later, I was scheduled to attend an event for the Fairfax County Republican Committee where all the candidates were to be introduced. I became nervous while waiting for my turn as one candidate after the other was called to the podium. Finally the chairman said "from the 46^th District, Kamal Nawash." I began walking and for a few seconds there was absolute silence in the room. Suddenly one person started clapping and then the entire room of approximately 200 stood up and began clapping. On that day, I felt proud to be an American and I felt genuinely loved.

As to the Muslim leadership and their response to September 11, I watched in horror as one Muslim leader after the other went on TV and made an ass of himself and in the process gave the impression that Muslims were insensitive and cruel. The truth is, most Muslims don't belong to any Muslim organization and are not even aware that most of the Muslim organizations exist. Most Muslims are busy paying their bills and raising their kids.

At the time of 9-11, most Muslim organizations in Washington, D.C. were managed by unsophisticated immigrants who simply did not understand American culture nor did they know how to communicate to the media. Prior to 9-11, most leaders of Muslim organizations in Washington belonged to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood which seeks to establish utopian theocratic "Islamic" governments in the Muslim countries. They believe that such governments would eliminate most of the developmental problems in the Muslim world and help propel the Muslim world forward. The reality is they have accomplished nothing other than to convince women to cover their hair and men to grow beards. They are an unsophisticated bunch of ideologues who dream of the glory of the past rather than the possibilities of the future.

The Muslim organizations' lack of sophistication did not matter before 911 because very few of them appeared in the news. Their ability to cause damage was limited to the people they communicated with personally. After 911, every news agency wanted to talk to them and the average Muslims paid the price for their "leaders'" ideology and lack of sophistication. For example, rather than condemn terrorism in no uncertain terms, they would say "well…we need to look at why those people committed the violent acts." This standard response gave Americans the impression that Muslims justified the attacks or implied that the attacks were justifiable. The average Muslim paid a heavy price for their bearded "leaders'" stupidity.

As for me, 911 had a deep psychological impact. I was horrified to see people jump to a certain death in order to save themselves from the agony of being burned. I developed a fear of flying and I became extremely angry with all Islamist movements and their ideology. For two years I approached various Muslim organizations about changing their rhetoric and their response was that they knew better. Finally, two years after 9-11, I realized that a new Muslim organization was needed to say the right things, to represent average Muslims and to reduce the number of TV appearances made by the traditional Islamist organizations. The idea of creating the Free Muslims Coalition Against Terrorism was born in 2003 and formalized in 2004.

The plan worked. By 2004, the Free Muslims were making TV appearances every other day and showing Americans that Muslims were divers, sophisticated, patriotic and sensitive. Soon others followed with organizations such as the Islamic Forum for Democracy taking a leading role in challenging the archaic traditional Muslim organizations. Some traditional organizations went out of business and those who remained had to change their ways and became more sophisticated.

However, the damage was already done and many Americans now view common Muslims negatively or with suspicion. The Average Arab or Muslim became the target of attacks from hundreds of talk show hosts and politicians wanting to make a name for themselves. Arabs and Muslims became the untouchables of the United States.

Many Muslims became reclusive and refused to cooperate with law enforcement because of the perception that law enforcement was out to get them.

Nevertheless, many terrorist suspects, who were arrested in the United States, were arrested with the help of other Muslims who contacted the FBI. But Muslims continue to be demonized. Any Muslim who wants to achieve any position of prominence is usually attacked by groups who do nothing but attack Muslims and Arabs over unfounded allegations and paranoia.

The demonization of Muslims and Arabs must stop. The average Muslim and Arab does not support the Islamist organizations in Washington DC nor does he want to create an "Islamic state." The Islamist message is dying out and the world is better off.

There is a new dawn and reason for hope. For years, the Islamists who supported the Muslim Brotherhood believed that if only the countries of the Muslim world became democracies, people would choose "Islamic" governments or religious based governments. Well, the world has watched as the "Arab Spring" replaced four long time leaders. In those countries where people have a choice no one has demonstrated for a Binladen or jihadist type government. And while it is premature to make a final conclusion on the outcome of the Arab Spring, there appears to be significant opposition to any government based on religion.

As to the role of the new Muslim organizations, they need to focus on countering the message that religion and state must be mixed. There is ample religious justification for arguing that Islam supports the separation of religion and state. Muslims are not extreme. It is the ideology that mixes government and religion that produces outrageous results. The same happened when Europe mixed religion and state and in fact that period is called the dark ages.

In the mean time, Americans should not view Arabs or Muslims with suspicion. Arabs and Muslims are good neighbors to have and are necessary to fighting and catching extremists.

Please help us continue the fight against extremism. We are all volunteers but we can use all the help we can receive. Please donate online: http://freemuslims.org/support/donate.php

Please respond to the this article by posting here: http://freemuslims.org/blog/?id=148

For more Information contact Kamal Nawash, 202-776-7191, president@freemuslims.org, www.freemuslims.org

Foundation For Our Proposal

This is a road map for creating a united federation of Israel/Palestine. This plan allows Israelis and Palestinians to pursue a shared future based on a bi-national identity with a democracy that ensure security, equality and self-determination regardless of religion, gender, race or ethnicity.

Currently, there are approximately four (4) million Palestinians who live in areas controlled by Israel, West-Bank and Gaza, who are not citizens of Israel. There are also 550,000 Jews who live in the West Bank but who are citizens of Israel. These demographic statistics are at the core of the conflict. While Israel controls the borders of the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinians living there have no rights in Israel and are unable to travel freely from their cities to Israeli cities while their Jewish neighbors are able to travel and have full rights in Israel. The Jews of the West Bank have full access to Israeli hospitals, universities, courts, public transportation while the Palestinians do not. Only Palestinians with a Jerusalem ID and Palestinians who are Israeli citizens have access to Israel's hospitals and other institutions.

According to our analysts, the reason for the unequal treatment between Israelis and Palestinians is not necessarily caused by racism or hatred for non-Jews. It is because Israel has a dilemma that it has been unable to solve from day one of its creation. Israel was created with the intention of being a Jewish state or a national home for the Jews. The problem with this goal is that Israel is not 100% Jewish. The dilemma for Israel is how to have a Jewish, democratic state when a substantial number of non-Jews live in Israel and Palestine.

The second part of the dilemma is that Israel perceives the Palestinians as naturally hostile to Israel and does not trust them to be citizens. Without a doubt, the Palestinians have complicated the matter by using violence to achieve their goals. This must stop. (The Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality must be based on nonviolence. Our model for achieving freedom and equality for Palestinians is the civil rights movement in the United States under the leadership of Martin Luther King.)

When Israel became an independent country, many Jews believed that the demographic dilemma was solved after a majority of the Palestinians in the new country Israel either immigrated or were kicked out of their homes. While many Israelis dispute that the Palestinians were kicked out of their homes, there is no dispute that only a fraction of the Palestinians in modern day Israel remained after the founding of Israel. It is also undisputed that Israel did not give the few remaining Palestinians in Israel (Israeli-Arabs) citizenship until five years after the founding of Israel. Jews were given citizenship immediately.

The demographic dilemma reemerged 29 years after Israel was created when, as a result of the 1967 war, Israel increased its territory by occupying the West Bank and Gaza. The occupation of the West Bank and Gaza substantially increased the number of Palestinians under Israel's control. There is disagreement whether the war was defensive as Israel claims or an offensive land grab as Palestinians claim. Regardless, it is undisputed that Israel took control of Palestinian lands but refused to give Israel citizenship to the Palestinians.

Currently, there are approximately six million Jews in Israel, four million Palestinians (Christians and Muslims) in the West Bank and Gaza and 1.5 million Palestinians (Muslims and Christians) with Israeli citizenship in Israel proper. Thus, there are 6 million Jews and 5.5 million Palestinians in Israel/Palestine. The number of Palestinians is expected to equal the number of Jews in a few years.

Currently many Jews on the left and right believe that if Israel gave equality to Palestinians in the form of citizenship and political rights then Israel as a Jewish state could be undermined or threatened. Consequently, Israel has isolated the Palestinians in an open prison by building huge walls to lock them in their cities and has deprived them from freedom of movement and most civil rights and freedoms enjoyed by Israelis. Israel claims that the building of the wall was done for security reasons. Palestinians believe that the wall is nothing but a land grab because it was built on Palestinian land rather than Israeli land.

Israel has justified its treatment of the Palestinians by referring to the Palestinian use of violence to end their inequality and suffering. Without a doubt the use of bombings and the targeting of Jewish civilians by Palestinians are morally wrong and unacceptable. The use of violence has hurt the Palestinian cause in every way imaginable and must stop. The Palestinians counter that during the first uprising (intifada), they did not use violence and Israel responded to their demonstrations with lethal weapons that killed thousands of Palestinians.

Moreover, Palestinians do not believe in the security argument because Israel does allow some Palestinians into Israel to work. Those Palestinians are checked and allowed in Israel at various checkpoints with no security risks to Israel. Palestinians argue that if Israel was sincere about security, then it would allow all Palestinians freedom of movement in Israel and Israel can guarantee its security by checking and searching Palestinians at the various check points and then allow them to travel in Israel as Jews are allowed to travel. However, Israel does not do this. Under Israeli law, Palestinians are not allowed in Israel unless they have a special visa or work permit. Thus, Israel treats Palestine as if it is a foreign country but wants to exercise control over Palestine as if it is a province of Israel. This contradiction has driven Palestinians to seek statehood and independence from Israel. Our analysts believe that if Israel treated Palestinians with respect and equality and allowed them to travel freely and to work wherever they find a job, then Palestinians may not want statehood or separation from Israel.

In addition, Palestinians argue that the check points make it difficult even for Palestinians with permits to travel because of long lines. For example, the check point near Bethlehem/Beit Jala, that primarily serves Jewish settlers, has 10 gates to check the identification and cars of Jews which keeps traffic moving fast. The check point that serves the Palestinians in Bethlehem only has one gate. Thus, even for those few who can travel into Israel, the commute is a nightmare in the best of times.

Currently, the Palestinians claim that their situation under Israeli control is worse than the situation of blacks in the United States prior to the civil rights movement and even worse than blacks in apartheid South Africa. Palestinians point to the irony of how Jews treat them, considering that Jews have traditionally been leaders in global civil rights movements. American Jews were and continue to be leaders in demanding equality and justice for blacks in the United States. However, the same Jews who supported equality for blacks in the U.S. opposed equality for Palestinians. The Palestinians interpret this contradiction as being caused by the fear of the above mentioned demographic dilemma. Israelis respond by saying that they are a different nation from the Palestinians and have no obligation to allow Palestinians equality or freedom of movement in Israel. Palestinians respond that Israel cannot claim that they are a different nation since Israel controls the borders of Palestine and controls the movement of Palestinians.

Two State Solution

Over the last 30 years, the world has pursued the two state (two country) solution without much success. However, contrary to unanimous belief, neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis are to blame for the failure of the two state solution. The two state solution failed because the concept of creating two separate countries by dividing Israel/Palestine was and still is a difficult pill to swallow for Israelis and Palestinians. It is a fact that Israelis and Palestinians have religious, historical and emotional attachments to every square inch of the land that includes Israel and Palestine and neither side is eager to embrace permanent separation or "amputation" as described by Israeli novelist Amos Oz. Practically speaking, it should be obvious to anyone who takes an honest look at the map of Israel/Palestine that there is not enough room in such a small area to support two separate countries that are contiguous, and viable.

Historically, the Palestinians only requested an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza for strategic reasons or to end the misery associated with being stateless. The West Bank and Gaza are approximately 23% of the lands that Palestinians claim as original Palestine. For most of their recent history the Palestinians have wanted to return to all of Palestine which includes all of Israel. It was only in the 1980s that a significant number of Palestinians began asking for a state in the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, the split between Hamas and Fatah and between Fatah and other branches of the PLO is precisely over this point. Hamas and other branches of the PLO reject the notion of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

Not surprisingly, the leaders of Israel have also rejected the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. They argue that withdrawing from the West Bank and Gaza would leave Israel vulnerable while others argue that the West Bank and Gaza are integral parts of Israel and refer to the territories as Judea, Samaria and Azza. The attachment of many Jews to Israel/Palestine is so strong that many Jews claim that Jordan is Palestine and that Palestinians should move to Jordan.

The fact is most Israelis and Palestinians share in the belief that Israel/Palestine is indivisible. For many Palestinians, Palestine is not the West Bank and Gaza, it includes all of Israel. For many Israelis, Israel includes all of Palestine. And both claim Jerusalem. Thus, the two state solution requires compromises that neither side can ever make.

Recent history has shown that separation is not the answer for Israel/Palestine. Increasingly, more and more Israelis and Palestinians are turning to the idea of a shared country in the form of a federation or confederation or a European Union style of a union with a supranational government. The Task Force believes that the way forward is for a shared future as opposed to separation. This article outlines an initial roadmap for Palestinians and Israelis to share Israel/Palestine in light of their goals, aspirations and fears.

ROADMAP

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TWO PROVINCES = ONE COUNTRY

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The Roadmap envisions one country made up of a federation between two provinces, Israel and Palestine, where each province contributes 50% to the federal parliament regardless of population.

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This road map envisions two people sharing one united country where each side is guaranteed equality, freedom, civil rights and security. The reference to "provinces" is not to two independent countries but rather to two partially sovereign states similar to New York and New Jersey linked together to form one country similar to the United States of America.

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The road map envisions several tiers of government: federal, province, municipal, and autonomous districts with municipal powers. The federal government will have limited powers that are given to it by the constitution.

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BOUNDARIES

The ideal and preferred solution is not to have boundaries and in many instances the roadmap envisions a future with no boundaries. However, practical administration of a modern federation may require legal or administrative boundaries without physical barriers. Among the purposes of administrative borders is for simplicity in determining the reach of the state government and to give people the psychological satisfaction and security that comes from the perception that they are in a state of similarly situated people. The boundaries will not be apparent and the number of Parliamentarians who represent each state in the federal parliament will not be based on population. Instead, the parliament will be divided 50/50 regardless of population.

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To illustrate, Israel and Palestine will each contribute 50% to the federal parliament regardless of which state Jews and Palestinians choose to live. Jewish settlers will be represented in the federal government by the 50% allocated for Jews and Arab Israelis will be represented by the 50% allocated for Palestinians.

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The 50/50 split will never change. The purpose of the 50/50 split is to provide each side with security, equality and to make certain that only moderates on both sides are able to pass legislation because any legislation will probably need support from parliamentarians from the other side.

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The administrative borders may be based on the location of the people. Cities that are majority Jews may go to Israel and cities that are majority Palestinian may go to Palestine. The same may apply for federal voting districts. If there is no agreement on the administrative boundaries, the administrative boundaries shall be based on the 1967 lines. However, it is believed that an agreement on administrative boundaries should be easy since there is free movement of people and no permanent separation or exclusion from any jurisdiction.

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Regardless of the legal boundaries, the formation of the federation is such that the boundaries are of no visible significance for the free movement of people or labor. There will be no physical barriers or check points. The boundaries are only relevant for choosing parliamentarians for the state governments and determining the application and reach of state law.

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FEDERAL, PROVINCE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

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The federal government shall be divided 50/50. The federal government will have specific authority that is given to it by the constitution. It will not interfere with state or municipal governments but will guarantee certain fundamental rights for all people. Where there is a contradiction between federal and state law, federal law must be supreme.

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As to municipal elections, the allocation of seats will be done on a system of one man one vote. There will be no limits on the number of any community in municipal parliaments. However, municipalities or districts may be created or designed around specific community concentrations. For example, Jews who live in Bethlehem or Palestinians who live in Tel Aviv shall have the right to vote and run for municipal elections. On the other hand, community concentrations such as the Har Homa Jewish settlement which would ordinarily fall within the municipalities of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour may petition to become its own municipality since it is large in size and 100% Jewish. In other words, it will be allowed to run itself. The same rule may apply to large concentrations of Palestinians within Israeli municipalities.

President or Prime Minster

The leader of the federation should be elected by parliament since it is divided 50/50 which will better guarantee that the leader will strive to serve all the people of the federation rather than his community. In other words, for a leader to be elected, he or she will need support from Jewish and Palestinian Parliamentarians. This dynamic will almost certainly guarantee the election of a reasonable leader who strives to serve all the people of the federation rather than just his community.

Jerusalem

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Jerusalem shall be the Capital of the federation and there shall be no restrictions on the number of people who travel, visit or reside in Jerusalem. It should be governed by the Jerusalem municipality with a legislature that can be divided 50/50.

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Police

There may be municipal police, state police, federal police, a national guard and a federal military.

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The federal police will have specific federal jurisdiction and will enforce laws that are within the jurisdiction of the federal government and have authority across state lines. The federal government will recruit and train federal police from both communities, preferably in equally numbers.

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There will also be state police and municipal police. The jurisdiction of the state police shall have general police powers and cover the entire state it belongs to and the municipal police shall have general police powers but limited to the municipality.

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Federal Military and Provincial National Guard

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The ideal situation will be for the federation to have one federal military. However, in light of decades of hostilities, the individual states may want a state national guard for the province to feel secure in the early years of the union.

Thus, Israel and Palestine will keep their existing armed forces and at the same time develop a joint federal military made up of Palestinians and Israelis.

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For example, upon the creation of the union, the country of Israel may transfer most of its military to the state of Israel and call it the state National Guard. The same goes for Palestine. The National Guard may limit its membership to all Jews or all Palestinians depending on the province/state. The purpose of the state Guard is to provide real and psychological security to the states/provinces, especially in the early years of the union.

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Federal military

The Federal military should be made of young new recruits, whereby the new recruits are developed into a professional army over the years and decades. To the extent possible, the federal government shall recruit military personnel on a one to one basis, with equal numbers of Palestinians and Jews.

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MIGRATION AND RIGHT OF RETURN

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The new country shall accept the return of all Jews and Palestinians from all over the world. However, it is understood that some citizens may feel uneasy with the sudden movement of a large number of people into their province.

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Thus, while the basis of the new country is the free movement of labor and people, to reduce the fear from the sudden changes in demographics, a state/province may limit the number of people who migrate from one state/province to the other as permanent residents. However, the state cannot limit the number to less than 50,000 per year. The 50,000 limit shall NOT apply to labor or people traveling for anything other than permanent residency.

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As to the right of return, both Jews and Palestinians shall have the right to return to the federation at any time. There shall be no limit on the number of Jews who return to Israel or Palestinians who return to Palestine. The new returnees shall also have the right to free movement and employment anywhere in the new country. However, each state/province shall have the right to insist that the new returnees first reside in their respective state/ province for five years before residing in the other state/ province as permanent residents. For example, a Palestinian who is a resident of the United States may want to return to Israel/Palestine. The family of that Palestinian may have originated from Haifa in 1948 which is in Israel. He shall have the right to return to Palestine at any time. He shall have the right to travel and stay in Haifa at any time. However, if he wants to reside in Haifa permanently, the state/province of Israel shall have the right to insist that he first reside in Palestine for five years before moving to Haifa as a permanent resident. The purpose of this reservation is to reduce the anxiety that certain people may have from sudden changes in demographics.

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The limitations on residency in a particular province shall not apply to the free movement of people and labor. Any citizen of the federation may travel and work anywhere in the federation and at any time with no limitations.

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Economy

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There shall be NO restrictions on interstate commerce within the federation. This means that the federation shall act as one economy in every respect. No province may favor its industry to the detriment of the industry of the other province. No province may restrict the flow of goods from the other province or tax goods from the other province differently than it taxes goods of its own province.

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Israel/Palestine shall have the same currency, no tariffs and complete free trade. The early days of the national government or confederation shall be to bring jobs and economic prosperity to both Israelis and Palestinians. This should be an easy task. A peaceful Israel and Palestine acting as one nation should be a gold mine the likes of which the world has never seen. A nation that is the birth place of western civilization and immensely revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, religious tourism alone will guarantee a healthy economy in perpetuity.

However, the economy will have more than tourism to secure its prosperity. A nation of Palestinians and Israelis at peace with their neighbors shall have unlimited opportunities. The technical know-how of Israel, the available capital in the Arab world and a geography that is at the intersection of three continents can produce an economic power house that is second to none on a per capita basis.

Basic rights

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The federation shall have the power to guarantee basic rights of all the citizens of the federation. For example, the federation may protect citizens from religious, racial or gender discrimination. No state may have the right to discriminate against a citizen of the federation because if his/her religion, race, national origin or the exercise of free speech.

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Courts and state/federal law

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The states/provinces shall have general governing powers to enact laws. The state/provinces may use religion as a basis for law in family matters or any other matter that the people of the province feel that religion plays a role. However, a state/province may not compel religion or religious based laws on any resident of the province. Each resident of each province shall have the right to opt out of religious based laws and rely on secular law by seeking the jurisdiction of the federal courts.

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The federal courts shall have parallel jurisdiction to state/provincial courts but the federal courts shall only apply secular law which is the law of the federal government. The residents of the federation shall have the right to submit their legal matters to the provincial courts or the federal courts. For example, a Muslim who wants a divorce may apply to the provincial court which may apply Islamic law to determine her rights or obligations to her husband or children. However, if that Muslim/Jewish/Christian woman is secular in ideology, she may submit her dispute to the federal court which will decide the case based on secular law.

EDUCATION REFORM

There shall be a committee on education reform to study the school curriculums of the provinces. The curriculum must encourage respect among the religions and among Israelis and Palestinians.

COMPENSATION AND REPARATION

To help Palestinian refugees reverse the economic loss from being stateless, the federation shall at a minimum assist Palestinians by allowing all qualified students to get a college education at no cost and allow Palestinians to purchase housing with a 30 year, zero interest loan. Palestinians, whose land was confiscated after 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza, must be compensated using the current fair market value of the land.

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SECURITY AND TIMING

Both communities must make a commitment to protect each other, locally, regionally and internationally. For example, both communities must do all they can to stop extreme individuals from causing mischief. Moreover, the implementation of the union could be done gradually. For example, while the implementation of the free movement of people should be done immediately, the check points and wall may stay for an extra two or three years but the flow of traffic would have to be done quickly and done in a way where the police on both sides join to inspect cars or people in a rapid manner so as not to inconvenience people and at the same time give both sides time to adjust and feel secure.

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Words of empathy and understanding

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To summarize, this roadmap requests the Palestinians to reach out to their Israeli and Jewish partners and say:

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"We understand why the state of Israel is important to you. We understand that the Jews - as a people- have a right to self-determination and to rule themselves under their own national institutions. We are fully aware of the persecution that Jews suffered throughout history and the necessity of having a safe haven for Jews. We mourn your losses, we are pained by your pain and we want a future with no losses and no pain due to this conflict. We recognize that because of desperation and self-defense, both sides committed atrocities that should never be repeated. We also understand that Jews have historical and religious ties to the land of Israel/Palestine. We believe that every Jew shall have the right to move to Israel and become a citizen immediately. We also welcome Jews to live with us in our cities, towns and villages. We want the Palestinians and Israelis to live together as neighbors, friends and countrymen. In return, what we want is freedom, liberty and equality for the Palestinians. Will you meet us half way?"
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The roadmap is also requesting Israelis and Jews to reach out to their Palestinians Partners and say:
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"We understand why Palestine is important to you and we understand that the Palestinians - as a people- have a right to self-determination and to rule themselves under their own national institutions. We are fully aware of the suffering the Palestinians have experienced over the last 100 years and the necessity of having a safe haven for Palestinians. We mourn your losses, we are pained by your pain and we want a future with no losses and no pain due to this conflict. We recognize that because of desperation and self-defense, both sides committed atrocities that should never be repeated. We also understand that Palestinians have historical and religious ties to the land of Israel/Palestine. We believe that every Palestinian shall have the right to move to Israel/Palestine and become a citizen immediately. We also welcome the Palestinians to visit and to reside in our cities, towns and villages. We want the Palestinians and Israelis to live together as neighbors, friends and countrymen. In return, we want permanent security, liberty, equality and total freedom for the Jewish people. Will you meet us half way?"

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Task Force on Israel/Palestine

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Kamal Nawash

Arab Revolution moves to Israel and London

Kamal Nawash

By now everyone has heard of the Arab Spring. This is a phenomenon where Arabs have felt empowered to question the authority of their governments which has resulted in the removal of four long time presidents from power and one more on the way.

Soon after the demonstrations began in the Arab countries, analysts began asking whether the demonstrations will spread to Israel. However, the analysts were not talking about Jewish Israel they were instead talking about the Palestinian occupied territories of Israel. As it turned out, the Arab Spring has spread but not to Palestine. To everyone's surprise, the demonstrations have spread to Jewish Israel in what is increasingly being called the "Jewish Summer." Amazingly, Jewish Israelis were inspired by their Arab Neighbors in Egypt, Syria, Tunis, Libya and Yemen.

Ironically, the demonstrations in Israel have received zero coverage in the United States which is unbelievable considering that the size of the demonstrations are larger than demonstrations in every Arab country except for Egypt. Recently, more than 300,000 people took to the streets to protest under the banner, "The people demand social justice." As in the Arab countries, what started as a demand for economic and social justice evolved into a call for the fall of the leader, in Israel's case the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The following is a video of one the large demonstrations in which Israelis credit their inspiration to the demonstrations in the Arab countries. As in the Arab countries, the government of Israel has already begun making concessions to the people but the people continue to demonstrate. http://www.freemuslims.org/.

The recent changes in the Middle-East have been covered in detail all over the world. However, authoritarian regimes such as in China are doing all they can to prevent their people from learning about the Arab Spring, fearing that "people power" may spread to their countries.

The question that many are asking now, is could the uprisings in the Middle East lead to a fundamental change in the relationship between citizens and governments all over the world? One can only wonder how the Arab Spring will impact the West. Already, there are many reports that the demonstrations in London were inspired by the Arab Spring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzDQCT0AJcw&feature=related. Many citizens in the West feel that their governments do not listen to them. This is an often repeated complaint by members of the Tea Party. Most recently, a Tea Party activist on CNN called for mass demonstrations like the ones in Egypt.

As to Israel and the Arabs, some Israeli and Palestinian bloggers have suggested that the people bypass their governments, who have been unable to make a peace, and deal with each other directly. The Free Muslims Coalition has been impressed with the empathy Arabs and Israelis have shown for each other during these demonstrations. After posting a video of Israelis demonstrating, www.freemuslims.org, many Muslims and Arabs wrote expressing solidarity with Israelis. Similarly, many Israelis and Jews have expressed support for Arabs in Egypt, Libya and beyond.

These developments have lead to cautious optimism between Palestinians and Israelis. The number of social media sites where Israelis and Palestinians interact is increasing exponentially. The Free Muslims Coalition has always believed that direct contact between Israelis and Palestinians would help both sides humanize each other. We share in the belief that Israel must allow Israelis and Palestinians to interact by traveling freely between each other's cities and towns. Segregation will cause more problems in the long run than the any short term benefit.

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For Media questions contact: Kamal Nawash, 202-776-7191, president@freemuslims.org, www.freemuslims.org.