Vision to Reality: The Reut Blog

Today, the Reut Institute published a document which analyzes the option of upgrading the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a Palestinian state with provisional borders through a systematic transfer of powers and authorities from Israel to the PA, up until its recognition as a state.

Such a process should be based on three phases:

Phase 1 – The systematic transfer of powers and authorities coupled with trust-building steps and the redeployment of the IDF;

Phase 2 – Recognition by Israel and the International Community of the Palestinian state;

Phase 3 – Renewal of the political process and its division into two channels: In one, the two states will hold negotiations on issues such as water, economy, environment and security. In the other, Israel will negotiate with the PLO over the historical outstanding issues such as permanent borders, Jerusalem, etc.

It was written in the context of the ongoing erosion of the two state solution and weakening of the PA. The failure of negotiations could be the tipping point that causes an official inversion by the Palestinian National Movement towards the principle. In addition, this could ultimately lead to an international inversion towards the 2 State Solution.

Upgrading the PA’s status to that nearing a sovereign state could be one way of trying to avoid this.

Click here for the full document.