Dynamic Consociationalism: Integrative Lessons for a Unified
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Dynamic Consociationalism: Integrative Lessons for a Unified Israel-Palestine An Honors Thesis for the Program on International Relations Joseph Leone Tufts University, 2016 ABSTRACT After twenty-five years, the American-sponsored peace process has failed to produce a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, resulting in a seemingly hopeless impasse. However, despite the increasing number of scholars, diplomats, and activists proclaiming the death of the two-state solution, little attention has been spent analyzing alternative resolutions. The most prominent of these alternatives, the creation of a single, democratic state in all of Israel-Palestine, is at the center of a growing movement to move away from the failed two-state paradigm. However, little analysis has been conducted as to what form of democratic government could best provide stability and equality to a prospective Israeli-Palestinian state. In order to better understand the dynamics of governing across deep communal divides, Israelis and Palestinians should look towards the democratic experiences of other deeply divided societies, particularly those whose relevant divisions and demographics resemble the Israeli- Palestinian context. This thesis examines the confessional political system of Lebanon and the extent to which it has provided stability and equality to its diverse religious communities. While Lebanon was able to achieve relative stability by addressing its deep divisions and incorporating each community in the political process, the inclusive benefits of this system were consistently undermined by the inflexible distribution of political positions amongst pre-determined communal groups. With no mechanism for the system to adapt to change over time, what was once a promising plural democracy collapsed into a fifteen-year civil war with a lasting legacy of sectarian violence. In response to these findings, this thesis proposes an alternative system of “dynamic consociationalism” as an effective form of governance in deeply divided societies, both Lebanon and Israel-Palestine. Through a system of proportional representation, executive power-sharing, communal autonomy, and minority vetoes - all on a self-determined basis - such a model enables the incorporation of all relevant segments of the population into government yet is able to adapt to reflect both changing demographic realities and the emergence of inclusive political forces that bridge the communal divide. Although the realization of a one-state solution in Israel- Palestine may still be a distant outcome, this thesis proposes the consideration of a dynamic consociational model as a stable and integrative framework for such a unified, democratic state. Acknowledgements I could not have completed this research without the tireless support and guidance of Professors Malik Mufti, Consuelo Cruz, and Richard Eichenberg, who encouraged and assisted me every step along the way, and for that I am endlessly thankful. I would also like to thank Robert Buderi and Sierra Kaplan-Nelson for the long conversations that inspired me to pursue this thesis in the first place. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their unwavering support throughout my academic career. Table of Contents List of Acronyms............................................................................................................................iv Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................4 I. Definitions........................................................................................................................4 II. Institutional Incentives in Deeply Divided Societies......................................................6 III. Previous Work on the One-State Solution...................................................................10 Chapter 3: The “Facts on the Ground”..........................................................................................18 I. Introduction....................................................................................................................18 II. Chapter Overview.........................................................................................................18 III. Visualizing a Deeply Divided Society in Israel-Palestine...........................................19 IV. The Implausibility of a Two-State Solution................................................................24 V. The Case for One State.................................................................................................46 VI. Conclusion...................................................................................................................51 Chapter 4: Assessing Lebanese Democracy..................................................................................52 I. Introduction....................................................................................................................52 II. Chapter Overview.........................................................................................................52 III. Relevance for Israel-Palestine......................................................................................53 IV. Historical Background.................................................................................................54 V. Assessing Pre-War Lebanese Democracy.....................................................................65 VI. Post-War Lebanese Democracy...................................................................................73 VII. Conclusion..................................................................................................................78 Chapter 5: Dynamic Consociationalism........................................................................................80 I. Introduction....................................................................................................................80 II. Chapter Overview.........................................................................................................80 III. The Dynamic Consociational Model...........................................................................80 IV. Dynamic Consociationalism in Lebanon.....................................................................84 V. Dynamic Consociationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Context....................................94 VI. Conclusion.................................................................................................................102 Chapter 6: Moving Forward.........................................................................................................104 I. Introduction..................................................................................................................104 II. The Future of Israel-Palestine and the Role of the United States...............................104 III. Lessons from South Africa........................................................................................107 IV. Palestinians and the One-State Solution....................................................................109 V. Israeli Jews and the One-State Solution......................................................................111 VI. The Role of the Israeli Right.....................................................................................112 VII. The Role of Hamas...................................................................................................113 VIII. The Risk of Transfer...............................................................................................114 IX. Conclusion.................................................................................................................115 Chapter 7: Conclusions................................................................................................................116 I. Review of Findings.......................................................................................................116 II. Recommendations for Further Study..........................................................................118 III. Conclusion.................................................................................................................119 Bibliography................................................................................................................................121 iv List of Acronyms AIPAC – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee ANC – African National Congress ASAP – Arab Socialist Action Party BDS – Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions EU – European Union FSA – Final Status Agreement GCKG - Geocartography Knowledge Group ICG – International Crisis Group IDF – Israel Defense Forces JEC - Jeunesse Étudiante Chrétienne ISIL – The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant JNF – Jewish National Fund JVP – Jewish Voice for Peace LCP – Lebanese Communist Party LKP – Lebanese Kataeb Party LNM – Lebanese National Movement MP – Member of Parliament NGO – Non-governmental Organization NPC – National Palestinian Council OCA – Organization of Communist Action OPT – Occupied Palestinian Territories PA – Palestinian Authority PLO – The Palestine Liberation Organization PM – Prime Minister PSP – Progressive Socialist Party PQLI – Physical Quality of Life Index PR – Proportional Representation UNSCOP – UN Special