Borders / Land Swaps
Land swaps are a possible solution that could bridge the Palestinian need for a sovereign, contiguous state based on the 1967 lines with the Israeli need to include within its borders the vast majority of Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines.
By annexing settlements adjacent to the 1967 lines, Israel would be able to include within its new borders the vast majority of Israelis living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But each annexation removes land from the future state of Palestine. And for the Palestinians, any such removal — on its own — would be unacceptable. So for every piece of land that Israel annexes, the Palestinians could receive equivalent land from Israel: a land swap.
This would allow for the creation of a Palestinian state equal in size to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli and Palestinian Criteria for Land Swaps
Land swaps enable Israel to maximize the number of Israelis included in its new borders and minimize disruptions to Israeli life. For security reasons, Israel refuses to give up land that is near its ‘narrow waist’ or vital infrastructure.
Palestinians demand that territory annexed to Israel be adjacent to the 1967 lines; not have a Palestinian population; be the minimum necessary to include Israeli residents; not impact Palestinian contiguity or daily life; and be equal in size and quality to the territory that Palestinians receive in return.