A-Infos (en) New-Zeland, AWSM: Palestine: The No State Solution (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

For decades, the world has been captivated by proposed solutions to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ranging from the two-state solution to the 
one-state solution. These ideas, while superficially promising, 
fundamentally fail because they cling to the notion that state 
structures,whether Israeli or Palestinian, can bring liberation. 
Anarchism offers a crucial critique of this reliance on states and 
borders, envisioning a world where people, not institutions, dictate 
their destinies. In this context, the No-State Solution emerges as the 
only path toward real justice and freedom.

Mainstream conversations often revolve around the two-state solution, 
which, despite being heavily promoted internationally, remains deeply 
flawed. Even if implemented, it would still perpetuate the colonial and 
capitalist frameworks that created the problem. The creation of two 
separate states entrenches nationalism and hierarchies of power, rather 
than dismantling them. Similarly, the one-state solution, which imagines 
a unified state where Palestinians and Israelis coexist with equal 
rights, still operates within the framework of a capitalist, 
hierarchical system. Anarchists recognise that true freedom cannot be 
found within the confines of any state structure.

The No-State Solution is not an abstract fantasy. It draws from 
historical precedents and the lived experience of Palestinians 
themselves. Despite decades of colonisation and displacement, 
Palestinians have maintained resilient communities through systems of 
mutual aid and solidarity. In refugee camps across Lebanon, Jordan, and 
Syria, informal systems of governance emerged without the presence of a 
state. Property rights, social traditions, and even revolutionary 
movements were organised autonomously.

These camps, often neglected or subjected to external control, have 
become hubs for autonomous organisation where Palestinians manage their 
own affairs. Despite the lack of official recognition or state 
enforcement, Palestinian refugees have created functioning communities 
based on mutual aid, solidarity, and traditional practices, 
demonstrating the potential for anarchist principles to flourish in the 
most adverse conditions.

In Lebanon, for example, the Shatila and Ein el-Hilweh camps have 
developed their own internal governance structures. These camps operate 
with localised councils that manage everything from dispute resolution 
to infrastructure maintenance. Property rights, though unofficial, are 
respected within the community through oral agreements and mutual 
recognition. No central authority dictates who owns what; instead, land 
and housing distribution relies on informal negotiations based on trust 
and communal decision-making. This decentralisation of power is an 
inherently anarchistic approach to governance, where the community 
collectively handles its own needs without state interference.
Similarly, in Jordan's Baqa'a camp, which houses tens of thousands of 
Palestinian refugees, traditional social structures have been repurposed 
to address contemporary challenges. Families and extended kinship 
networks play a significant role in maintaining order and supporting 
those in need. This reliance on social traditions, such as collective 
child-rearing and communal sharing of resources, reflects the principles 
of mutual aid and cooperation. These informal systems ensure that, 
despite the state's neglect, basic needs are met, and social cohesion is 
maintained.

In Syria, the Yarmouk refugee camp was once considered a "capital" for 
Palestinian refugees, where revolutionary movements took root alongside 
everyday communal life. Before its destruction in the Syrian civil war, 
Yarmouk was a thriving community where political movements like the 
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) organized 
resistance against both Israeli occupation and oppressive state forces 
in the region. This revolutionary spirit coexisted with a strong 
tradition of self-help and mutual support. Even without formal political 
recognition, Yarmouk's residents managed healthcare, education, and 
social welfare through grassroots efforts, often in direct defiance of 
both Syrian state control and external political pressures.

These examples of self-organisation in Palestinian camps show the 
anarchist potential that exists within the Palestinian society. In the 
absence of a functioning state, Palestinians have demonstrated that they 
can organise effectively, build social structures, and foster 
solidarity. This self-reliance, born out of necessity, embodies 
anarchist ideals of rejecting top-down authority and building power from 
the grassroots. It proves that communities can thrive through mutual 
aid, cooperation, and the rejection of hierarchical control.

The No-State Solution builds on these lived experiences, showing that 
the Palestinian people have already laid the groundwork for a future 
without state domination. By scaling up these examples of autonomous 
governance and mutual aid, Palestinians could forge a path to liberation 
that transcends the traditional state-based models of control. These 
refugee camps provide a living blueprint for how a stateless society can 
function, even in the face of immense external pressure. The challenge 
now is to expand these principles beyond the camps and into the broader 
struggle for Palestinian liberation, rejecting both Israeli colonialism 
and the authoritarian tendencies of nationalist governance.

These examples of self-organisation highlight the anarchist potential 
that already exists within Palestinian society. The idea of a No-State 
Solution isn't about rejecting organisation but about rejecting 
authoritarianism. It's about moving towards a future where communities 
govern themselves, free from the oppression of state power.

At the heart of this solution is the rejection of nationalism as a 
liberating force. While the Palestinian resistance has historically 
embraced nationalism as a response to Israeli occupation, anarchists 
understand that nationalism inherently divides people. It reinforces 
borders, exclusion, and hierarchy-the very structures anarchism seeks to 
dismantle. Instead, we should focus on decolonizing social relations, 
removing not just the physical borders but also the mental ones that 
divide Palestinians and Israelis. The future must be built on 
solidarity, where people see each other not as enemies defined by 
national identity, but as fellow human beings in a shared struggle for 
freedom.

In practice, the No-State Solution offers the opportunity for true 
autonomy. It's a vision where communities manage their own resources, 
resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than military force, and live 
without the domination of a ruling class. The solution to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, therefore, lies not in creating another 
state but in erasing the structures that necessitate one. This means 
dismantling capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism, not just in 
Palestine, but globally.
Anarchists across the world have a role to play in this struggle. 
Solidarity with the Palestinian cause cannot be limited to calls for 
statehood but must support the broader fight against all forms of 
domination. Boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) are valuable 
tools in applying pressure on Israel's apartheid regime, but they must 
be paired with direct action and international solidarity efforts. 
Anarchists must amplify the voices within Palestine that challenge both 
Israeli colonialism and the oppressive aspects of Palestinian governance 
under the Palestinian Authority. It is not enough to simply oppose 
Israel's occupation, we must oppose the structures of power that 
maintain it.

We can see a powerful parallel to the No-State Solution in the 
revolutionary example of the Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico. For decades, 
the Zapatistas have created autonomous zones governed by the principles 
of direct democracy, rejecting both the Mexican state and capitalist 
forces. Their movement, born from the resistance of Indigenous people to 
state violence, has built a functioning society based on horizontal 
structures, mutual aid, and communal decision-making. The Zapatistas 
provide a living example of how communities can self-govern without 
relying on a state, and how they can thrive through cooperative networks 
rooted in autonomy. Like the Zapatistas, Palestinians can resist both 
colonialism and the authoritarianism that often arises within their own 
ranks, building systems of mutual aid and self-determination that do not 
rely on the violent apparatus of the state.

The Zapatistas' struggle reminds us that autonomy and statelessness are 
not abstract concepts but achievable realities. Their success has shown 
that when communities come together to resist both external oppression 
and internal hierarchies, they can create new worlds outside of state 
control. The Zapatistas' emphasis on decentralisation and the rejection 
of top-down governance echoes the potential for Palestinians to organise 
outside of the state paradigm, forging a future based on 
self-management, communal solidarity, and true liberation.

The model for a No-State Solution can also be seen in revolutionary 
experiments like Rojava in Northern Syria. Rojava's decentralised, 
multi-ethnic federation provides a glimpse of what a stateless society 
could look like in practice, where communities govern themselves based 
on principles of direct democracy, gender equality, and ecological 
sustainability. Just as the people of Rojava have rejected the 
nation-state, so too must Palestinians and Israelis reject the false 
promise of statehood as the path to liberation.

This isn't just about tearing down borders or toppling governments. It's 
about building a world where power flows horizontally, not vertically. 
Where decisions are made collectively, resources shared equitably, and 
no one group dominates another. For Palestinians, this means rejecting 
the notion that their liberation can come through the creation of a new 
state, and instead embracing a future of genuine autonomy, free from the 
yoke of Israeli colonialism and the authoritarianism of any Palestinian 
ruling class.

Anarchists, in Palestine, Israel and globally, must stand firm in our 
rejection of the state as a liberating force. We must advocate for a 
world beyond borders, beyond nations, and beyond oppression. The 
No-State Solution is not a utopian dream, but a necessary step toward 
real freedom, a freedom that can only be realised when we dismantle the 
power structures that keep us divided and oppressed.

Republished from: 
https://awsm4u.noblogs.org/post/2024/10/20/palestine-the-no-state-solution/

https://awsm.nz/palestine-the-no-state-solution/
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