Shimon Peres

The establishment of a separate Palestinian state would foster peace in the Middle East, argues Shimon Peres in the following viewpoint. Now that Israel has come to accept the necessity of Palestinian self-rule, the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan should be fairly divided between Israelis and Palestinians, Peres contends. This division of land into two states should be perceived as an opportunity for profitable collaboration, industrialization, and commerce for both Israel and Palestine, he maintains. Peres is a former prime minister of Israel.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was the result of the Oslo negotiations, according to Peres?
2. In Peres’s view, what would happen if a binational state were established?
3. Why have borders between states lost their significance, in the...