Shlomo Sand, an academic from Tel Aviv University, shares his thoughts on the history of Zionism in his latest work titled Two Peoples for One State? Rereading the History of Zionism. He believes that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine necessitates a political organization of the two peoples in a federation or confederation to avoid further disasters like the recent events in Gaza. Expressing his voluntarist pessimism, Sand asserts that a Jewish state alone cannot survive in the Middle East and emphasizes the need for a binational state for Jews and Palestinians to coexist.
Through his research, Sand delves into forgotten texts by early Zionists who advocated for a binational state, opposed to the exclusive Jewish national home idea. He sheds light on these visionaries and their call for a state where both Jews and Arabs have equal rights. Sand also discusses the influence of European Orientalism on Zionism and highlights the diverse perspectives within the movement.
In his book, Sand presents a compelling argument for a de jure binational state with equal rights and collective rights to ensure community-specific identities. Drawing inspirations from successful models like Switzerland, he envisions a concordance democracy where individual and collective rights are respected.