The bi-national idea in Israel/Palestine: Past and present

This article reviews four different advocacies of bi-nationalism in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite the differences in their context, content and style, let alone in motivations and implications, the four advocacies - the 'old school' and the 'new school' of Jewish bi-nationalism, contemporary Palestinian bi-nationalism, and bi-nationalist advocacy that comes from outside observers - present certain similarities which reduce their chances of becoming a mainstream option: (a) in all cases bi-nationalism is not the most desirable option; (b) they all gained momentum on both sides in periods of instability - due to transformations in the power relations between them or when the conflict reaches a point where the violence seems to become unbearable; (c) all these bi-nationalisms present a rather uneasy mixture of moralistic arguments and pragmatic ones; (d) in all cases the people who embrace the bi-national model are intellectuals. This gives their recommendations a touch of 'ivory tower' overrationalisation, further reducing thier public appeal.