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In a [1989] interview with Ha'aretz correspondent Gideon Levy, � [Sari] was also asked whether he had changed his mind about
trying to alter Israeli society from the inside rather than through the creation of a separate state [ie his June 1987 comment about Israeli annexation of the Occupied Territories]. "When I was looking at processes that were taking place in the West
Bank and Gaza during the first twenty years of occupation, I saw a process of integration into Israeli society, which was contrary to the stated aims of the Palestinian strategy that called for disintegration," he replied. "I believed that this
schizophrenic situation cannot continue for a long time. In order to bridge the gap, there was a need to change one of the two components: either to disconnect from the Israeli system - something that has already happened in the intifada - or to
change the declared strategy, and to make an effort to integrate into the Israeli system, consciously. I think that is still applicable", he said. "In other words, I believe that if the strategy of disintegration will fail, then maybe the Palestinians
will change direction and say: We couldn't do it, therefore let us make the best out of integrating into the Israeli system." He was asked whether that would inevitably lead to a binational state. "By definition", Sari replied, "if we don't reach
agreement on a two-state partition in five to six years, then what happens in fact - no matter what you call it - is a nondemocratic binational state."
Sari made those comments to Ha'aretz in the fall of 1989. According to his timetable,
the Palestinians must achieve their independence by 1995 or face Israeli annexation. And, he warns, the psychological clock is ticking. "The entire populace is becoming radicalized as a result of the continued Israeli occupation", he explains. "The
symptom of this [shift] is that more and more people are turning to Muslim fundamentalism. One shouldn't overestimate its importance" he cautions, but one should draw the appropriate conclusion.
The message is that while an independent
Palestinian state is still attractive to most Palestinians, both inside and outside the territories, it may not be for very much longer. "Today you could sell this to the people, not that they would fall in love with the idea," says Sari. He cautions:
"The national psychological readiness for a two-state solution is not a permanent fixture of the Palestinian psychology. It's in the Palestinian heart now, but it can quickly fade if there is no response to this feeling of opening up. It's like a star
or a comet that comes close by and then goes away. One has to catch it when it is close to your quarters."
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