Khaled Diab is a regular contributor to ‘Comment is Free’. Diab hails from Egypt and lives in Belgium. While purporting to try and understand both sides of the conflict and humanise the parties involved, Diab is a staunch supporter of the one-state solution and “famously” debated peace activist, Uri Avnery, on the subject.

 Below are a selection of comments by Khaled Diab on ‘Comment is Free’ “in his own words”:

“But the suspicion and distrust did not end there. Their resemblance to Arabs – in fact, you could argue that they are also “Israeli Arabs” – in everything but religion caused them to be viewed with a mixture of condescension, contempt and even fear. This kind of culture shock is, at one level, understandable, as it is a myth to expect the simple fact of belonging to a single faith automatically means that people are the same. “We have here a people whose primitiveness sets a record,” wrote a Ha’aretz reporter in 1948, not of the Palestinians, but of Mizrahi refugees.” Israel’s other Arabs April 2, 2009

“A growing number of voices – mainly on the Palestinian side – have been advocating the one-state solution. Even Libya’s eccentric and whimsical Muammar Gaddafi has weighed in on the debate. Despite the surprising eloquence of his appeal, I doubt the Libyan dictator will win many supporters over to the idea in Israel, where it is regarded as an existential threat, an extension of the conflict by other means.

Personally, I am in favour of a federalised bi-national state eventually emerging, since a single state already exists, it only needs to be made fairer – but I don’t hold out much hope of it coming about any time soon.” States of confusion February 2, 2009

“In conclusion, a sort of alignment of convenience has emerged between influential segments of Israel’s economic elite and ideological opponents of the peace process. Add to that, the revolving door between the military and the upper echelons of politics and industry, and the “war economy” locomotive appears even harder to derail.” Profits of war January 11, 2009

“The responsibilities of office have shown that Hamas can be more accommodating than its past suggests, with the Islamist party indicating its willingness to end its armed struggle with Israel in return for a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders. Unfortunately, the Israelis and international community have failed to engage with Hamas.” The God veto September 18, 2008

“This means that they should temporarily abandon their national struggle and, instead, campaign for their civil rights, leaving the complexion of an eventual resolution to a more amenable future or more visionary leadership.” An untenable state of affairs August 26, 2008

“The notion of a single state can instil fear into the hearts of Israelis and Palestinians because it evokes images of extremists on the other side driving them off their land or making them live under subjugation. So, it is better to call what I and people like me have in mind a “bi-national federal state”, ie the “single geographical entity” I alluded to above, with a functioning, fair and democratic political apparatus.

And, as long as Israel holds on to its nuclear arsenal, the shadow of proliferation will not go away. For at least 30 years, Arab governments, as well as Iran, have been pushing for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East. If Israel is concerned about a nuclear Iran, or the possibility that other regimes in the region will acquire the bomb, the best way it can avert this is to offer to phase out its nuclear arsenal in return for cast-iron Iranian assurances under international supervision.” Disarming the bomb in the basement August 24, 2008

“As a reflection of this romantic pride, the cultural Zionist Martin Buber (1878-1965), an advocate of Jewish “uniqueness”, wrote: “Within the Jews lies the whole force of Asiatic genius: the unification of the soul.” Despite this snobbery, Buber’s vision of a bi-national Jewish-Arab state based on “peace and brotherhood with the Arab people” strikes me as the best way out of this seemingly intractable conflict.” The Mosaic Arabs May 20, 2008

“Israel, the United States and Europe define Hamas as a terrorist organisation. In defence of the harsh, uncompromising approach to the Hamas-infused Gaza government, Israel and its supporters point to the Hamas charter which calls for the dissolution of the Zionist state in favour of an Islamic one. But failure to engage and, instead, punish sparked civil war in Gaza which led to a complete Hamas takeover last year.

As I’ve argued before, there is a world of difference between abstract charters and realpolitik. Several Israeli parties take a similar position towards a Palestinian state in their own charters, yet this hasn’t stopped the Palestinians or the international community from working with them. Glimmers of hope January 25, 2008

“In his Cif classic, “Boris, Israel, 9/11 and me”, Sarfraz Manzoor wrote: “I have begun developing symptoms of a condition best described as ‘post envy’.” I will openly admit that I feel a particular rush of excitement when one of my articles enters the hallowed top 10 and a vague sense of disappointment when a piece I expected to elicit a lot of debate fails to do so.” Cif’s angels and demons January 10, 2008

“As I’ve been arguing for some time, top-level diplomacy has failed dismally due to a lack of international will and the vested interests of extremists. The way forward would be for the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to admit that they do not possess the mandate to reach a feasible two-state solution.” A civil solution November 19, 2007

“Building towards such a confederated state would break the current impasse and inject a dose of much-needed lateral thinking into the quest for peace. Handled correctly, it can bring prosperity and stability, enabling Israelis and Palestinians to share the land equitably, while maintaining their right to self-determination.” Uri Avnery v Khaled Diab Could a one-state solution end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? July 6, 2007