Frequently Asked Questions

 

1)Q. Can I get a nutshell explanation of what is the Israeli Palestinian confederation?

In essence, the Israeli Palestinian Confederation is a third government for both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples together. A Confederation does not dissolve the Israeli or Palestinian governments. The Israeli and Palestinian governments will remain the governments of the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. The Israeli and Palestinian peoples and institutions will remain subject to the jurisdictions and laws of their respective governments. However, the Confederation is an independent third government representing both the peoples of Israel and Palestine together.

Under the Israeli Palestinian Confederation Constitution, there will be 300 Parliament members representing 300 districts of the entire area of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

In order for the 300 representative to pass legislation, they will require 55% of the Israeli and 55% of the Palestinian Parliament members to vote "yes" for the same legislation.

The separate Israeli and Palestinian governments will have a veto power over the legislation. If those governments veto the legislation, it will not become law. However if they fail to veto it, the legislation will become law.

We suggest that you read the entire Constitution which is available on this website.



2)Q. Who is eligible to vote for the Israeli Palestinian Confederation?

According to the Israeli Palestinian Confederation Constitution, the elections shall take place within the state of Israel and Palestine. In order to be eligible to vote, a person must be a citizen of Palestine or Israel and must have attained the age of 18 years. The voter must be an inhabitant of Israel or Palestine at the time of the election, and must be physically within Israel or Palestine when he or she votes.



3)Q. What is the geographic location of the Israeli Palestinian Confederation?

The geographic location of the Confederation is the entire State of Israel (including the Golan Heights), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. These areas are referred to in the Constitution as Israel and Palestine.



4)Q. Who is eligible to run for Parliament of the Israeli Palestinian Confederation?

In order to be elected as a Parliament Member a person must be at least 21 years of age and a citizen of Israel or Palestine and who for at least 180 days prior to the election was an inhabitant of the district in which he or she made a bid for candidacy.



5)Q. Who is eligible to run for President or Vice President of the Israeli Palestinian confederation?

The President and Vice President must be citizens of Israel or Palestine and must be at least 35 years of age. The President serves for 2 years and must rotate with the Vice President after two years. If the President is a Palestinian citizen, the Vice President must be an Israeli citizen. The person who receives the most votes will be the first to serve as President. The person who receives the second largest number of votes, who is of a different citizenship from that of the President, becomes the Vice President. Both the President and the Vice President must be inhabitants of Israel or Palestine for at least 180 days prior to the elections.



6)Q. What happens if the Israeli or Palestinian governments object to the elections?

The Israeli Palestinian Confederation is an independent entity. It is not exclusively Israeli or Palestinian. It is a third government made out of Israelis and Palestinians together. We do not intend to supersede or supplant the Palestinian or Israeli governments.

We believe that our political power will be dependent on popular local and international support.

If we are able to achieve the voting and participation of both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and to get International support, we will be able to pass legislation of an important nature. We believe that the Israeli and Palestinian governments will understand the great service and opportunity we can provide to their people and eventually support our government.



7)Q. What happens if the Israeli and Palestinian governments ignore the results?

The Israeli and Palestinian governments will not be able to ignore the results if we get substantial popular support. In the event we get support from the Palestinians, Israelis, and the international community, those governments will have to seriously examine the options we provide.

One of the questions they will be asked is “what is your position on the Israeli Palestinian Confederation government that is now being created.” A responsible government will not be able, in good conscience, to ignore the Israeli Palestinian Confederation solution, and claim at the same time that they are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for peace.



8)Q. How do you prevent fraud in the elections?

We do not anticipate that many people would want to sway the results one way or another.

Some people may want to prevent the elections altogether. We have created multiple and alternative layers of security to prevent hacking or other malicious conduct to our servers.

We are using various methods such as mailing and phone interview and personal inspections to make sure that the people who register as candidates and as voters provide us with legitimate information.

The idea of online voting has been accepted by many countries and states as well as multinational corporations around the world. Even conventional voting is not 100% safe. We are confident that our system will be as safe as, and possibly safer than conventional voting.



9)Q. Will there be the same number of Israeli and Palestinian Parliament members?

The total number of anticipated Palestinian districts and Parliament members for the December 12, 2012 elections will be approximately 107, based on Palestinian population of approximately 4 million people. The total number of Israeli districts and parliament members will be approximately 193, based on the approximate population of 7.5 million Israelis.

We have used the numbers provided by the Palestinian and Israeli bureaus of statistics. These numbers may slightly change if there is a shift in the proportionate population.

It is important, however, to understand that in order to pass legislation, the total number of Palestinian or Israeli districts is immaterial. What is important to know is that in order to pass legislation, 55% of the Palestinian and 55% of the Israeli Parliament members will have to vote "yes,” such that even if the Israelis have more representatives, they will not be able to pass legislation without the consent of at least 55% of the Palestinian parliament members. The number of Palestinian and Israeli representatives may change in the future depending on total population growth for each side.



10)Q. Where will the Parliament members meet, and how will they vote and discuss legislation?

Initially, the Parliament and the entire Confederation will discuss and meet over the Internet. We believe that the Internet will help us overcome any travel or timing restrictions which the Parliament members may face. In addition, the discussion and voting will be completely transparent. The whole world will be able to see the discussion and how each Parliament member voted.



11)Q. Will the members of the Parliament and Confederation receive compensation?

Initially the entire membership of the Parliament and the Confederation will receive no compensation. However, should the Confederation become able to raise funds sufficient to compensate its members, the Parliament members may choose to vote in favor of paying compensation to the Confederation members.



12)Q. Would an Israeli be able to vote for a Palestinian? Or a Palestinian vote for an Israeli?

The election is based on districts. A person will be able to vote for any candidate in his or her district regardless of the nationality of the candidate.



13)Q. What if a district has both Israeli and Palestinian citizens?

A person will be able to vote for any candidate in his or her district regardless of the nationality of the candidate or the voter.



14)Q. Can Israelis and Palestinians who reside outside of Israel or Palestine vote?

No. In order to vote a person has to be a Citizen of Palestine or Israel and must be an inhabitant of the districts for 6 months.



15) Can a person run for both, the President and Parliament at the same time?

Yes, but if he is chosen to Parliament and for President or Vice President, he will have to make a choice . He cannot serve in the Parliament and as President or Vice President at the same time.



16)Q. Why would a Confederation succeed in making peace when the Israeli and Palestinian government did not?

Current approach – The Israeli and Palestinian governments deal with each other as adversaries.

IPC approach – We are an independent government for both Palestinians and Israelis together. We must solve issues in a way that will be acceptable to both.

Current approach - The Israeli and Palestinian governments dedicate a fraction of their time to dealing with the issue of peace.

IPC approach - The IPC government will spend 100% of its time dealing with the issue of peace.

Current approach – Both the Israeli and Palestinian governments have dual and sometimes conflicting tasks. Many times those governments have to appease their constituents who demand that their government will be “tough” towards the other side, making it hard for those governments to work towards peace and be “tough” against each other at the same time.

IPC approach - IPC constituents are Palestinians and Israelis who demand one thing only: Peace. We do not have dual or conflicting tasks.

Current approach - Many times, the negotiations by the Israeli and Palestinian governments are in and of themselves a catalyst for violence. Violence is used frequently as a means to derail the negotiations or agreements between those governments.

IPC approach - IPC legislative sessions will take place between 300 parliament members on a daily basis. The meetings and voting will mostly be incremental and mundane. In all likelihood, they will not deal with ultimate issues at one time, and therefore will not attract efforts to derail them. The ultimate issues will be resolved in an incremental manner.



17)Q How can the Israeli Palestinian Confederation resolve difficult questions such as the occupation, Jerusalem, refugees, and terror?

We do not know how the Parliament of the Confederation will choose to deal with these issues. What we do know is that the Confederation will have certain tools which have never been available to either the Israeli or Palestinian governments. These tools will enhance the possibility that IPC will be able to tackle those issues and resolve them.

1) Objectivity - Since the IPC is an independent government for the Palestinians and Israelis together, it is designed to solve issues in a manner that is beneficial to both peoples and not just to one side. As such, their ideas for solutions must be acceptable to both sides.

2) Sustainability - IPC is exclusively designed to negotiate and reach an agreement between its parliament members. IPC has no purpose other than to discuss these issues daily and resolve them by peaceful means. The whole purpose of IPC is to make peace.

3) Flexibility - Because IPC is an independent government for both Palestinians and Israelis together, it has greater flexibility to suggest innovative or partial solutions which have not been suggested by the separate Palestinian or Israeli governments.

4) Accessibility - Because IPC is made out of Palestinians and Israelis together, it will have greater access to governments and people which are now being denied to one side or the other, or both.



18)Q. If I do not trust them, how can I be in the same government with them?

The Confederation government is created in such a way that the cooperation of both sides is essential. We have created multiple layers of checks and balances so that one side is unable to take advantage of the other. This system of governance requires the cooperation of both sides. Without cooperation, nothing gets done.

For example, in order to pass legislation, you will need at least 55% of the Palestinian and at least 55% of the Israeli Parliament members to vote "yes" on the same legislation. If either side does not agree with the legislation, it cannot pass. Subsequently, you allow the Israeli and Palestinian heads of state and Parliament an opportunity to veto the legislation.
Should any one of them veto the legislation, it cannot pass. There are many other examples which we can cite to demonstrate how our Constitution promotes checks and balances.

Please read our entire constitution. You will realize that we were very sensitive to the issue of equality and cooperation.



19)Q. Is it fair for people outside the area to dictate a Confederation?

Throughout history and up until today, people, governments, and other entities all over the world have attempted to influence events in this region. In fact, the creation of the State of Israel was conceived outside the region. The Israeli Palestinian conflict has grown to worldwide proportions. People all over the world are affected by this conflict. This conflict is discussed and is being written upon daily in the media worldwide. Israelis and Palestinians are scattered all over the world, and have strong emotional, political, and economical ties to the region.

Governments and private individuals worldwide are constantly lobbying their governments in an effort to influence decisions in the area.

The Israeli and Palestinian governments have failed for decades to reach resolution, and in many cases have made the situation worse.

Our organization is made up of Palestinians, Israelis, and people of other backgrounds and religions. We believe that sometimes a fair and reasonable approach to the conflict is better when seen from the outside. The Israelis and Palestinians are engulfed in the conflict, and many times it is hard to see things objectively. We are proud to suggest a mechanism to help resolve the conflict.



20)Q. Who is considered to be a Palestinian citizen?

A citizen of Palestine is a person who is recognized under Palestinian law as a citizen of Palestine.



21)Q. Who is considered to be an Israeli citizen?

A citizen of Israel is a person who is recognized under Israeli law as a citizen of Israel



22)Q. Can the Constitution be changed?

Yes. the Israeli Palestinian Confederation Parliament may amend the Constitution, provided the proposed amendment passes the vote of the Palestinian and Israeli members, as described below.



23)Q. What can I do to help?

If you are an inhabitant of the area and are a Citizen of Israel or Palestine, you can register to vote and you may register to run for Parliament or President.

If you reside outside Israel or Palestine, you can encourage those whom you know within Israel or Palestine to register to vote and run for Parliament or Presidency.
Get educated about the subject. Read all of our material. We believe that the more you read, the more the idea of a Confederation becomes attractive.

Regardless of where you reside, we need financial support. You can make your contribution online. Please go to our “contribution page” and help make history happen.