Mainstreaming the one state solution

Here's another call for the one state solution from, to my mind anyway, an unexpected source.  Simon Hughes of the UK's Liberal Democrats has described himself before now as "unequivocally a lover of Israel".   George Galloway picked up on it back in 2004 when he said it and so did I.

Well now he's calling for the one state solution on the grounds that Israel has made the two state solution impossible.  Here he is in The Jewish Chronicle:

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes has said that the opportunity for a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine dispute is now “near to the end” and the international community should consider a “one state solution”.

Speaking on the eve of his party conference, the veteran Lib Dem politician said he believed a single federated state in which Muslims, Jews and Christians had separate constitutional rights may now be the best option.

Mr Hughes’s controversial words are a departure from Liberal Democrat and government policy.

The Lib Dem deputy leader said: “We are near to the end of the opportunity of being able to get a peaceful two-state solution because of the extent of the settlements.” The separation of Gaza from the West Bank and the increasing encroachment of the settlements meant that an alternative to the two-state model must be explored: “We need to be honest and realistic about having a Plan B and a Plan C as well as a Plan A, as an international community.”

It gets a bit weird when he suggests that Jews in the UK should try and persuade Israel of his "new" idea:

 Mr Hughes said that the UK Jewish community should press the Israeli government to honour international law. “I call on Jewish friends who are moderate and internationalist and careful about these things to use all their influence to make sure that international law is honoured and particularly that forced removals of people don’t go ahead where possible.

“On the minority rights issue, the human rights issue, the international law issue, the United Nations issue: these are things that just stack up against Israel as unnecessary steps that don’t enhance its reputation. That’s a government of Israel point, it’s not an anti-Jewish point.”

Not sure why he thinks Jews in the UK would be influential there but when I posted about him back in 2004 I titled the post, "I love ethnic cleansing and apartheid laws": Simon Hughes. Funny then that he specifically mentions the ethnic cleansing though not by name. He appears not to be ready to describe Israel's laws as "apartheid" laws just yet.  I'm suggesting that this member of the UK Jewish community has influenced Simon Hughes. It's just curious that he has gone from being a supporter of the State of Israel to flirting with the idea of abolishing it altogether.