The Context:

           The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an issue that has plagued the international community since its conception following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. 

           Since the conclusion of the Six-Day War, the current, most popular model for peace is the two-state solution. This solution calls for an independent Palestine, consisting of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, if anyone takes a look at a map of the West Bank, they will see that Israel has created many settlements within what the United Nations considers Palestinian territory. Since 1972, Israel has continued to build settlements on occupied land in the effort to create a permanent Jewish presence in the West Bank. 

           The existence of Israeli highway networks, checkpoints, walls, and settlements, have hindered on Palestinian freedom of movement between lands under the direct civilian control of the Palestinian Authority. The Israelis believe that granting Palestinians the right to move through Israeli civil and military-controlled land in the West Bank (Area C) would pose a threat to security. As time goes on, the two-state solutions become less viable as Israel continues to create walls and settle lands, further splintering Palestinian villages and cities apart. If a Palestinian state is given independence today, without the inclusion of Area C, the state would be virtually impossible to govern and develop due to the need to travel through Israeli civil and military infrastructure. 

The Parameters for Solving the Problem:

A successful bipartisan agreement between Israel and Palestine should include the following holistically:

1. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are annexed by Israel
2. Areas “A” and “B” and the Gaza Strip become part of an independent Palestinian State
3. The immediate termination of the planning and building of any Israeli settlements in the West Bank
4. Palestine recognizes Israel as a country and vice versa

The Problem:

Even if Israel agrees to this deal, the Palestinians would not agree because it would be virtually impossible to govern a Palestinian state that only consists of land controlled by the Palestinian Authority without having the ability to travel in between Area C. A solution to this problem would require some way to allow Palestinians to freely travel between their lands without needing to go through Israeli checkpoints or roads. 

The Solution:

I propose that a tunnel system underground would allow Palestinians in the West Bank to travel in between Palestinian territorial enclaves. The tunnel network would run through Israeli infrastructure below ground. Each tunnel would be specialized in facilitating either a pedestrian pathway or a train or a road network, depending on the distance and concentration of people between two enclaves. This tunnel network would de facto unite the Palestinian enclaves within the West Bank, allowing for both civilian and commercial freedom of movement.

This solution would allow Israeli settlers to become a part of Israel while also uniting the Palestinians through a transportation network underground. A corridor could also be created between the Palestinian West Bank areas and the Gaza Strip; this allows for the Palestinian State to have access to a naval port, connecting them with the outside world. 

Complications:

Many issues must be addressed and accounted for if this plan is to ever come into fruition. There are several major complications: who will be responsible to build such tunnels, the question of which country has the authority of administering such tunnels, the creation of the Gaza-West Bank corridor, and the fate of Area C and East Jerusalem. 

Financing of Tunnel Networks:

I do not have the expertise necessary to put a price tag on building such tunnel networks, but I doubt that the tunnel network that is built in between the Palestinian West Bank enclaves would cost more than $6.5 billion. This is a lot of money, but through an international effort, countries can sponsor the development of such a project in the interest of promoting peace and prosperity in the world. It would also be the responsibility of the Palestinians to maintain the structural integrity of these tunnels. The international community and private organizations could aid in financing maintenance efforts.

Planning and Authority over the Tunnel Networks:

The tunnels should be under Palestinian jurisdiction. This does not mean that Israel has no say in how the tunnels are administered. The tunnel networks should be under a joint administration, where officials are appointed by Israel and Palestine. The job of the Palestinian officials would be to monitor the tunnels to prevent security breaches and accidents. Meanwhile, the Israeli officials should act as observers which would help promote transparency. 

These tunnels should be built before Palestine becomes independent. The international community, through a United Nations joint committee, made up of Israelis, Palestinians, and people from other countries, would aid in mediating between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. The UN should mediate between the two parties on where and how exactly to build these tunnels. The Israelis, Palestinians, and the UN would need to review each proposed tunnel case-by-case. This will take a long time, possibly years, but it is necessary in order for a solution to be executed.

Gaza-West Bank Corridor:

Currently, Hamas and Fatah each control the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively. Hamas is a terrorist organization according to Israel, the United States, and other countries. This complicates the issue of the prospect of de facto uniting the West Bank with the Gaza Strip commercially. Ideally, I would advocate for some sort of corridor, such as a highway, that connects the two regions. A tunnel would be too expensive to construct, however, a highway that is under both the jurisdiction of Israel and Palestine could be one way to connect the Palestinians of the West Bank to international maritime shipping. For this proposal to come into fruition there must be a political settlement between Hamas, Fatah, and Israel. 

The Fate of Area C: 

Areas of the West Bank under Israeli civil and military authority, also known as Area C, would be a point of contention due to two reasons. The first is the large Palestinian population in Area C, which accounts for nearly 40% of the total population. Israel would either have to grant citizenship to these Palestinians or would need to cede Palestinian majority areas to the Palestinian State while also giving citizenship status to Palestinians, not in areas of secession.

The second issue relates to the fact that a majority of Area C is not developed. This may lead to the Palestinians demanding some land in Area C where no Israeli settlements or infrastructure are present. The need for concessions from both sides might be necessary if this point of contention is brought up. 

East Jerusalem:

I do not know what to make of the situation in East Jerusalem. I believe that a United Nations administration of East Jerusalem may be necessary as Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods are too compact to allow for a hard border. 

Nevertheless, I do believe that if bipartisan support is shown to the other areas of this proposal, a remedy for the East Jerusalem question can be created.