Mick Dumper is professor of Middle East Politics at Exeter university and author of several books and articles on the Arab-Israeli conflict including on the repatriation of Palestinian refugees.  Dumper is yet another proponent of the one-state solution that the Guardian goes out of its way to give editorial space to. In a glowing review of Jamil Hilal’s book “Where now for Palestine?” Dumper stated:

“Whatever position one holds on the question of a two-state solution or of a bi-national solution for Palestine/Israel, it is important to understand the arguments put forward. This collection of essays engages the reader directly and honestly, bringing many new and important angles to the debate over bi-nationalism. The arguments and facts presented here succeed in bringing the bi-nationalist position from the margins of the debate to a more central position.”

Below is a selection of Mick Dumper’s statements on ‘Comment is Free’ “in his own words”.

“What has not been taken on board by the wider public is that a binational state does not mean the eradication of the nations involved. There are a variety of precedents and models for political cooperation that show how national interests can be protected. These models comprise structures which range from the confederal model (two or more entities with a kind of steering committee) a federal model (two or more entities with certain powers allocated to a central body) to a consociational model (a single state structure with powers allocated to the two or more entities according to agreed criteria, such as size of population). Where these models might be relevant to the current situation in the Middle East is that they provide both concrete ideas for how the degree of cooperation between the two entities can be achieved and also a benchmark for determining the equity of any agreement. The argument being made is that the binationalism, or the one state solution, is simply the two-state solution that works well and works fairly. One state or two? March 31, 2008

“Finally, never have I heard so much talk of the one-state solution (ie a bi-national state comprising Israeli and Palestinians) by both Palestinians and Israelis. The view is that the degree of cooperation across so many fields required by the two sides to make a two-state solution work is so great that in time there will be a merging of the two Israeli and Palestinian polities. A confederal framework may prove to be more firmly based and allow for more equity in political rights.” Gloom over Jerusalem February 16, 2008