Exceptions to this basic principle can be freely agreed between Jews and Arabs as two equal negotiating partners, if a proposal made by one party, such as exchanging land for land, is accepted by the other party. (Numerous such exceptions will be introduced and recommended further on in this text.)

What comes to economical compensation paid to the refugees, it should be understood that Israel is responsible for no more than 50% of the costs, and the Arab countries that have caused a Jewish refugee problem are responsible for another 50% of the costs (as Israel already has paid the costs of a Jewish refugee problem caused by Arab states, approximately half the size of the Palestinian refugee problem). Donations from a wider international community may be necessary to solve this issue in a satisfactory way.

3. The final status of Jerusalem

“In view of its association with three world religions, the Jerusalem area (...) should be accorded special and separate treatment from the rest of Palestine, and should be placed under effective United Nations control.” (UN resolution 194, article 8)

The area of historical Jerusalem (approximately 2 kmē that was surrounded by walls until 70 AD), should be defined as Common Ground, and permanently placed under international administration (in similar fashion as the Italian capital Rome hosts a walled microstate, the Vatican City). Several reasons speak in favour of this arrangement:

• Only an internationally administered separate zone can be free of all visa requirements, allowing access to any person of any nationality, without discriminating or favouring anyone.
• After the UN resolution 181 recommended Jerusalem to be placed under international administration, the Old City has been annexed first by Transjordan and later by Israel, in both cases illegally and without international recognition.
• Having the Old City under international administration would probably be more comfortable for Israeli security officials than any other politically realistic final solution.
• Foreign visitors (and most notably Christians) typically want to visit all parts of the Old City. If the Old City were divided between two independent states, numerous security checks would waste the time of visitors and police.
• Notable religious minorities in Jerusalem prefer more conservative conduct in public places than is guaranteed by the legislation dictated by the liberal mainstream population. (Disagreements about proper clothing have occasionally sparked violence between secular and religious citizens.) The internationally administered Vatican-style microstate would have a stricter dress code than the rest of Jerusalem (which is true also for Vatican City compared to Rome).