At Amherst, I often see my friends advocate for “Free Palestine,” waving Palestinian flags and demanding boycotts of Israeli goods. I wish, however, that they’d put more consideration into what policies would actually enable Palestinians to live in peace and dignity. You see, those who push for an independent Palestinian state ignore better and more realistic alternatives. The dream of a free and prosperous Palestine, no matter how appealing and just it is, does not take into account the reality on the ground. It’s time to seek a different solution.

Over the last two decades, Israel has devoted huge effort to destroying the possibility of a viable Palestinian state, building walls around Palestinian enclaves, constructing permanent Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and routinely destroying buildings in territory belonging to Palestinians. Backed by the power of the IDF, one of the most advanced militaries in the world, the Israeli government has a free hand to strangle Palestine.

The efforts have largely succeeded. Current living conditions in Palestine are beyond imagination. In Gaza, the unemployment and poverty rates exceed 50%. In the West Bank, inadequate plumbing means that rainstorms create lakes of excrement in the middle of towns and cities. Much of Palestine would probably be uninhabitable if not for billions in international aid that goes to preserve even this low standard of living. In these horrendous and overcrowded conditions, it’s not hard to see why many Palestinians are drawn to extremist groups. So long as Palestine exists in this unendurable state, the violence in the region will go on forever.

Many activists seem to believe that the international community can force Israel to pull back and create space for a viable Palestinian state. They are dreaming. Economic sanctions have a terrible record of bringing about policy change, especially since the burden of sanctions tends to fall on the poorest and most marginalized members of society. When a state sees its national security and fundamental interests on the line, sanctions cannot force it to change its behavior. We’ve tried that approach with Iran, Russia, and North Korea with no success. Israel, with an economy designed for self-sufficiency, would prove no more pliable. And even if Israel did pull out of Palestinian territory, the task of building a successful state out of the disorganized wreckage would be almost impossible.

At the moment, Palestinians are trapped in limbo. Current conditions in Palestine are unbearable, but at the same time, Palestinian leaders and international activists tell Palestinians that they must stay where they are to retain a claim on the land in preparation for the imaginary free Palestine that they pretend is still possible. Dreams of free Palestine certainly did not cause the conditions Palestinians endure today, but they have prevented many Palestinians from having the option to seek a better life. Palestinians, however, are not all so eager to sacrifice their livelihoods for a lost cause. Despite Israeli and Palestinian laws restricting the movement, thousands of Palestinians have jumped fences and risked their lives to escape Palestine and seek new lives elsewhere.

If we in the United States truly care about the welfare of Palestinians, we would focus first and foremost on giving Palestinians a safe way to leave the apocalyptic conditions of Palestine and start over. In the early years of the Israel-Palestine conflict, thousands of Palestinians fled to neighboring Arab countries and received citizenship. Since then, they have thrived, and their descendants now make up the majority of the population in the neighboring country of Jordan. The United States should encourage Palestine’s neighbors to restore that policy, offering citizenship, housing, and work for Palestinian emigrants. Perhaps the United States could use some of the almost $4 billion it spends on military aid to Israel each year for funding these pathways for Palestinian emigration. If all else fails, the United States could offer itself as a new homeland for Palestinians emigrants, since after all, the U.S. is partially responsible for the horrendous trials endured by the Palestinians.

If Palestinians had the choice between the current status quo and the opportunity for a fresh start in another country, I don’t doubt that many would choose the pathway that enables them to live safe and secure lives.

It’s not fair to expect Palestinians to leave their homeland in order to achieve a better future. But there’s no easy solution to this decades-long conflict. A more convenient path would be to kick the ball down the road and let both Israelis and Palestinians continue to pay the price for the pipe dream of a negotiated settlement, but we’ve seen how little that achieves. No path forward for the Palestinian people will be easy, but if the United States opens the path for emigration from Palestine, at least the Palestinians will have the chance to choose their own future. ■

—Anonymous