Two-state solution

{{Short description|Proposed diplomatic solution for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{other uses|Two-state solution (disambiguation)}}

{{distinguish|Two-nation theory}}

{{pp-extended|small=yes}}

File:Israel and Palestine Peace.svg poster: Israeli and Palestinian flags and the words peace in Arabic and Hebrew. Similar images have been used by several groups supporting a two-state solution to the conflict.|249x249px]]

File:Occupied Palestinian Territories.jpg and the Gaza Strip, 2011. Agreeing on acceptable borders is a major difficulty with the two-state solution.]]

File:Restricted space in the West Bank, Area C.png of the West Bank, controlled by Israel, in blue and red, December 2011]]

{{Israel-Palestinian peace process|Proposals}}

The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the establishment a single state in former Mandatory Palestine with equal rights for all its inhabitants. The two-state solution is supported by many countries and the Palestinian Authority.{{Cite news |title=Palestinian Authority ready to work with an Israeli government that backs two-state solution: PM Shtayyeh |website=CBC News|date=1 February 2024| accessdate=3 September 2024|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/palestinian-authority-two-state-solution-israeli-government-1.7102024}} Israel currently does not support the idea, though it has in the past.{{Cite web |last=Magid |first=Jacob |title=Knesset overwhelmingly passes motion rejecting Palestinian statehood, days before PM's US trip |website=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/knesset-overwhelmingly-passes-motion-rejecting-palestinian-statehood-days-before-pms-us-trip/ |date=2024-07-18 |access-date=2024-08-18}}

The first proposal for separate Jewish and Arab states in the territory was made by the British Peel Commission report in 1937.{{Citation |last=Morris |first=Benny |title=The History of One-State and Two-State Solutions |date=2009-04-28 |work=One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict |pages=28–160 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1np7rh.7 |access-date=2024-06-28 |publisher=Yale University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1np7rh.7 |isbn=978-0-300-15604-1}} In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a partition plan for Palestine, leading to the 1948 Palestine war.{{Citation |title=The 1947 Partition Plan |date=2022 |work=International Law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict |pages=93–101 |editor-last=Sabel |editor-first=Robbie |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/international-law-and-the-arabisraeli-conflict/1947-partition-plan/BF9BEE2E6380D9CEAD0C710C6AC51C63 |access-date=2023-10-31 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781108762670.006 |isbn=978-1-108-48684-2}}[https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/DPIQoPPub_280220.pdf The Question of Palestine and the UN, "The Jewish Agency accepted the resolution despite its dissatisfaction over such matters as Jewish emigration from Europe and the territorial limits set on the proposed Jewish State."] As a result, Israel was established on the area the UN had proposed for the Jewish state, as well as almost 60% of the area proposed for the Arab state. Israel took control of West Jerusalem, which was meant to be part of an international zone. Jordan took control of East Jerusalem and what became known as the West Bank, annexing it the following year. The territory which became the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt but never annexed. Since the 1967 Six-Day War, both the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip have been militarily occupied by Israel, becoming known as the Palestinian territories.

The Palestine Liberation Organization has accepted the concept of a two-state solution since the 1982 Arab Summit.{{Clarify|reason=This is very vague. Who is “leadership”? When did they accept (“since 1982”, but when is that exactly?)? Which “concept” did they accept (considering that any concrete plan is still non-existent)? What means the addition “in principle”: did they accept, or not? The suggestion that PLO accepted any tss(-principle) is improbable, considering that our article on the PLO does not mention their acceptance of any (real) two-state solution-idea (or ‘principle’). We don’t want Wikipedia to tell its readers unsourced fantasy or sweet fairy tales. So: can we have a real citation from that book (1994) of author Mark Tessler?|date=July 2024}}{{cite book|first=Mark A. |last=Tessler|title=A History of the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict|publisher=Indiana State University|location=Bloomington|date=1994|isbn=978-0253208736|page=718}} In 2017, Hamas announced their revised charter, which claims to accept the idea of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, but without recognising the statehood of Israel.{{cite news |date=2 May 2017 |title=Hamas accepts Palestinian state with 1967 borders |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/5/2/hamas-accepts-palestinian-state-with-1967-borders |accessdate=3 November 2023 |website=Al Jazeera}} Diplomatic efforts have centred around realizing a two-state solution, starting from the failed 2000 Camp David Summit and the Clinton Parameters, followed by the Taba Summit in 2001. The failure of the Camp David summit to reach an agreed two-state solution formed the backdrop to the commencement of the Second Intifada, the violent consequences of which marked a turning point among both peoples’ attitudes.{{Cite web |last=Palti |first=Zohar |date=2023-09-08 |title=The Implications of the Second Intifada on Israeli Views of Oslo |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/implications-second-intifada-israeli-views-oslo |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=The Washington Institute}}{{Cite web |title=Background & Overview of 2000 Camp David Summit |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-2000-camp-david-summit |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Jewish Virtual Library}}{{Cite web |title=Second Intifada |url=https://www.makan.org.uk/glossary/second_intifada/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Makan |quote=The Second Intifada starkly demonstrated the failure of years of negotiations, and marked a turning point in both internal Israeli and Palestinian politics.}} A two-state solution also formed the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, the 2006–2008 peace offer, and the 2013–14 peace talks.

Currently there is no two-state solution proposal being negotiated between Israel and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority supports the idea of a two-state solution; Israel at times has also supported the idea, but currently rejects the creation of a Palestinian state. Long-serving Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated his objection to a Palestinian state on two separate occasions, in 2015 and 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-01 |title=Palestinians furious over Netanyahu claims that Israel must 'crush' statehood ambitions |url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-748435 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-26 |title=Netanyahu's call to block creation of Palestinian state sparks fury, condemnation |url=https://arab.news/ju7du |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Arab News |language=en}} Former Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert in late 2023 expressed support for a two-state solution.{{Cite magazine |last=Cortellessa |first=Eric |date=2023-11-06 |title=Former Israeli Prime Minister: Israel's Endgame in Gaza Should be a Palestinian State |url=https://time.com/6332127/israel-palestine-war-ehud-barak/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |magazine=TIME}} Public support among Israelis and Palestinians (measured separately) for "the concept of the two-state solution" have varied between above and below 50%, partially depending on how the question was phrased.

The major points of contention include the specific boundaries of the two states (though most proposals are based on the 1967 lines), the status of Jerusalem, the Israeli settlements and the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Observers have described the current situation in the whole territory, with the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip, as one of de facto Israeli sovereignty.{{Cite web |last=Iraqi |first=Amjad |date=2021-01-12 |title=Why B'Tselem is calling Israel an apartheid regime, from the river to the sea |url=https://www.972mag.com/btselem-israel-apartheid-supremacy/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=+972 Magazine}}{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2021 |title=B'Tselem (Document): A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This Is Apartheid |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1650915 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=Institute for Palestine Studies}} The two-state solution is an alternative to the one-state solution and what observers consider a de facto one-state reality.{{Cite news |last1=Barnett |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael N. Barnett |last2=Brown |first2=Nathan |author-link2=Nathan J. Brown (political scientist) |last3=Lynch |first3=Marc |author-link3=Marc Lynch |last4=Telhami |first4=Shibley |author-link4=Shibley Telhami |date=2023-04-14 |title=Israel's One-State Reality |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/israel-palestine-one-state-solution |access-date=2024-04-03 |work=Foreign Affairs |volume=102 |issue=3 |issn=0015-7120}}

Following the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, multiple governments restarted discussions on a two-state solution. This received pushback from Israel's government, especially from prime minister Netanyahu. On 26 September 2024, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide co-chaired a meeting of representatives of about 90 countries, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to launch a global alliance for a two-state solution.{{Cite web |last=Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud |date=2024-10-02 |title=Saudi foreign minister: A two-state solution is more urgent than ever |url=https://www.ft.com/content/06a1f31d-7cf9-4559-a7d4-8f0f19f2aced |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=Financial Times}}

History

{{Main|Israeli–Palestinian conflict}}

File:Map of Mandatory Palestine in 1946 with major cities (in English).svg in 1946.]]

In the wake of Jewish migration from Europe in the context of Zionism and intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine, the first proposal for the creation of Jewish and Arab states in the British Mandate of Palestine was made by the British Peel Commission report of 1937 led by William Peel, 1st Earl Peel.{{Citation |last=Pappe |first=Ilan |title=Zionism and the two-state solution |date=2007 |work=Where now for Palestine? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350223936.ch-002 |access-date=2024-06-28 |publisher=Zed Books Ltd |doi=10.5040/9781350223936.ch-002 |isbn=978-1-84277-839-5}} The plan maintained a mandate covering a small area containing Jerusalem and allotted the poorest lands of Palestine, including the Negev Desert, and areas that are known today as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the Arabs; while most of the coastline and some of Palestine's most fertile agricultural land in the Galilee were allotted to the Jews.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LILdBDrm-ksC|title=The Arabs: A History|edition=3rd|first=Eugene|last=Rogan|author-link=Eugene Rogan|page=257|publisher=Penguin|year=2012|isbn=9780718196837}} Consequently, the recommended partition proposal was rejected by the Arab community of Palestine, and was accepted by most of the Jewish leadership.{{cite book|first=Ted|last=Swedenburg|date=1988|chapter=The Role of the Palestinian Peasantry in the Great Revolt 1936–1939|title=Islam, Politics, and Social Movements|editor1-first=Edmund III |editor1-last=Burke|editor2-first=Ira|editor2-last=Lapidus|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, California|isbn=0-520-06868-8|pages=189–194}}{{cite book|first1=Marvin|last1=Gettleman|authorlink1=Marvin Gettleman|first2=Stuart|last2=Schaar|date=2003|title=The Middle East and Islamic World Reader|publisher=Grove Press|location=New York City|isbn=0-8021-3936-1|pages=177–181}}{{cite book|first=Pappé|last=Ilan|date=2004|title=A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, England|page=106|isbn=0-521-55632-5}}

Partition was again proposed by the 1947 UN Partition Plan for the division of Palestine. It proposed a three-way division, again with Jerusalem held separately, under international control. The partition plan was accepted by Jewish Agency for Palestine and most Zionist factions who viewed it as a stepping stone to territorial expansion at an opportune time.{{cite book|first=Benny|last=Morris|title=1948: a history of the first Arab-Israeli war|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5jtAAAAMAAJ|access-date=24 July 2013|year=2008|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven, Connecticut|page=75|isbn=978-0-300-12696-9|quote=The night of 29–30 November passed in the Yishuv’s settlements in noisy public rejoicing. Most had sat glued to their radio sets broadcasting live from Flushing Meadow. A collective cry of joy went up when the two-thirds mark was achieved: a state had been sanctioned by the international community.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/DPIQoPPub_280220.pdf|title=The Question of Palestine and the UN|publisher=United Nations|location=Washington, DC|date=2008}} The Arab Higher Committee, the Arab League and other Arab leaders and governments rejected it on the basis that Arabs formed a two-thirds majority and owned a majority of the lands.Benny Morris, 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War, 2008, pp. 66, 67, 72{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LILdBDrm-ksC&q=eugene+rogan+history+of+arabs|title=The Arabs: A History|edition=3rd|first=Eugene|last=Rogan|page=321|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York City|date=2012|isbn=978-0-7181-9683-7}} They also indicated an unwillingness to accept any form of territorial division,Morris, 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War, p. 2008, p. 73 arguing that it violated the principles of national self-determination in the UN Charter.[https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/DPIQoPPub_280220.pdf The Question of Palestine and the UN]{{cite book|first=Sami |last=Hadawi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ghf_OBksgykC&pg=PA76|title=Bitter Harvest: A Modern History of Palestine|publisher=Olive Branch Press|location=Northampton, Massachusetts|date=1991|isbn=9780940793767|page=76}} They announced their intention to take all necessary measures to prevent the implementation of the resolution.{{Cite journal |last1=Perkins |first1=Kenneth J. |last2=Gilbert |first2=Martin |date=1999 |title=Israel: A History |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/120539 |journal=The Journal of Military History |volume=63 |issue=3 |pages=149 |doi=10.2307/120539 |jstor=120539 |issn=0899-3718}}{{cite book |last=Best |first=Antony |title=International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond |date=2004 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315739717-1 |pages=531 |publisher=Routledge |location=Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England|doi=10.4324/9781315739717-1 |isbn=978-1-315-73971-7 |access-date=June 29, 2022}}{{cite book|first=James |last=Rothrock|title=Live by the Sword: Israel's Struggle for Existence in the Holy Land|publisher=WestBow Press|location=Bloomington, Indiana|date=2011|isbn=9781449725198|page=14}}Lenczowski, G. (1962). The Middle East in World Affairs (3rd Ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. p. 723 Subsequently, the Intercommunal conflict in Palestine gave way to civil warArticle "History of Palestine", Encyclopædia Britannica (2002 edition), article section written by Walid Ahmed Khalidi and Ian J. Bickerton. and the plan was not implemented.{{cite book|first=Itzhak|last=Galnoor|title=The Partition of Palestine: Decision Crossroads in the Zionist Movement|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, New York|date=1994|isbn=9781438403724|page=195}}

File:United_Nations_Palestine_map_showing_Armistice_Agreements_between_Israel_&_Lebanon,_Syria,_Jordan_&_Egypt_1949-1950.jpg of the 1949 Armistice Agreements.]]

At the end of the British Mandate, with the establishment of the State of Israel and entry of Arab regular armies into what had been Mandatory Palestine, the 1948 war became an international conflict.{{Cite book |last=Morris |first=Benny |title=1948: a history of the First Arab-Israeli war |date=2009 |publisher=Yale Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-300-15112-1 |location=New Haven, Conn.}} At the end of the war, the Green Line established by the 1949 Armistice Agreements became the de facto borders of the State of Israel. The war resulted in the fleeing or expulsion of 711,000 Palestinians, which the Palestinians call Nakba, from the territories which became the state of Israel.{{cite web|author=United Nations General Assembly |date=23 August 1951 |url=https://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/b792301807650d6685256cef0073cb80/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883?OpenDocument |title=General Progress Report and Supplementary Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine |format=OpenDocument |access-date=3 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822123836/http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/b792301807650d6685256cef0073cb80/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883?OpenDocument |archive-date=22 August 2011 |df=dmy}}

= UN resolution 242 and the recognition of Palestinian rights =

After the 1967 Arab–Israeli war, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed resolution 242 calling for Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied during the war, in exchange for "termination of all claims or states of belligerency" and "acknowledgement of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area". The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which had been formed in 1964, strongly criticized the resolution, saying that it reduced the question of Palestine to a refugee problem.{{cite web|title=The Question of Palestine and the United Nations|url=https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/DPI2499.pdf|website=United Nations|access-date=2 Aug 2014}}{{rp|18}}

In September 1974, 56 member states proposed that "the question of Palestine" be included as an item in the General Assembly's agenda. In a resolution adopted on 22 November 1974, the General Assembly affirmed Palestinian rights, which included the "right to self-determination without external interference", "the right to national independence and sovereignty", and the "right to return to their homes and property". These rights have been affirmed every year since.{{cite web|title=A/RES/3236 (XXIX) Question of Palestine |url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/025974039ACFB171852560DE00548BBE|website=The United Nations – General Assembly|access-date=30 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101150050/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/025974039ACFB171852560DE00548BBE|archive-date=1 January 2010 |date=22 November 1974}}{{rp|24}}

= Early Palestinian articulations of two-state solution =

The first indication that the PLO would be willing to accept a two-state solution, on at least an interim basis, was articulated by Said Hammami in the mid-1970s.Ayoob, Mohammed. The Middle East in world politics. 1981, p. 90{{cite web|first1=Ḥusayn|last1=Āghā|first2=Shai|last2=Feldman|first3=Aḥmad|last3=Khālidī|first4=Zeev|last4=Schiff|title=Track-II diplomacy: lessons from the Middle East|url=https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/track-ii-diplomacy-lessons-middle-east|publisher=Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center|date=2003|page=11}}

= Likud party's insistence on only Israeli sovereignty =

The Israeli Likud party, in its manifesto for the 1977 elections which it won in a landslide, declared: "Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."{{cite book |last1=Laquer |first1=Walter |title=The Israel-Arab Reader: a Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict |last2=Rubin |first2=Barry |date=2001 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0143113799 |location=New York City |pages=206–207}}{{cite web |title=Likud Party: Original Party Platform 1977 |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/original-party-platform-of-the-likud-party |access-date=16 November 2023 |website=Jewish Virtual Library}}{{cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=October 31, 2023 |title='From the river to the sea': where does the slogan come from and what does it mean? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/from-the-river-to-the-sea-where-does-the-slogan-come-from-and-what-does-it-mean-israel-palestine |newspaper=The Guardian}} Similar statements have been made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as late as 18 January 2024.{{Cite web |title=Israel's Netanyahu reiterates rejection of Palestinian state after Gaza war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/18/israels-netanyahu-reiterates-rejection-of-palestinian-state-after-gaza-war |website=Al Jazeera}}

On 18 July 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a resolution that rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. The resolution passed in the Knesset with 68 votes in favour and nine against it. Netanyahu’s coalition with far-right parties co-sponsored the resolution, while the opposition left the session to avoid supporting the statement.{{Cite web |title=Israel's Knesset votes to reject Palestinian statehood |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/18/israels-knesset-votes-to-reject-palestinian-statehood |access-date=2024-07-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

= Palestinian Declaration of Independence =

The Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 15 November 1988, which referenced the UN Partition Plan of 1947 and "UN resolutions since 1947" in general, was interpreted as an indirect recognition of the State of Israel, and support for a two-state solution. The Partition Plan was invoked to provide legitimacy to Palestinian statehood. Subsequent clarifications were taken to amount to the first explicit Palestinian recognition of Israel.{{cite journal |last=Rabie |first=Mohamed|date=Summer 1992|title=The U.S.-PLO Dialogue: The Swedish Connection |journal= Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=21|issue=4|pages=54–66|doi=10.1525/jps.1992.21.4.00p0140g |jstor=2537663}}{{cite book |author=Quandt, William B. | author-link = William B. Quandt |title=Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1967 |publisher=Brookings Institution |location=Washington, DC |year=1993 |pages=367–375, 494 |isbn=0-520-08390-3}}

=2017 Hamas Charter=

{{main|2017 Hamas charter}}

The 2017 Hamas charter presented the Palestinian state being based on the 1967 borders. The text says "Hamas considers the establishment of a Palestinian state, sovereign and complete, on the basis of the June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital and the provision for all the refugees to return to their homeland." This is in contrast to Hamas' 1988 charter, which previously called for a Palestinian state on all of Mandatory Palestine. Nevertheless, even in the 2017 charter, Hamas did not recognize Israel.

=6th Netanyahu cabinet=

In December 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu returned as Prime Minister of Israel, forming the most right-wing government in Israel's history. Netanyahu's coalition partners rejected the two-state solution.{{cite news |title=Israel's most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616 |date=21 December 2022}}{{cite news |title=Israel's Netanyahu says deal agreed with far-right to form gov't |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/22/israels-netanyahu-says-deal-agreed-with-far-right-to-form-govt |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}} In February 2023, Netanyahu said he would be willing to grant Palestinians autonomy but not sovereignty, and in any future deal Israel would maintain full security control of the West Bank.{{cite news |last1=Gold |first1=Hadas |title=Netanyahu outlines vision for two-state solution – without Palestinian sovereignty |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/middleeast/netanyahu-palestinian-sovereignty-mime-intl/index.html |work=CNN |date=1 February 2023 |language=en}} In June 2023, Netanyahu told members of the Knesset that Israel must block the creation of a Palestinian state.{{cite news |title=Netanyahu's call to block creation of Palestinian state sparks fury, condemnation |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2328446/middle-east |work=Arab News |date=26 June 2023 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Palestinians furious over Netanyahu claims that Israel must 'crush' statehood ambitions |url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-748435 |work=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=1 July 2023 |language=en}}

Later in 2023, despite Israeli PM Netanyahu's statement denying the creation of a Palestinian state as a condition for a normalization with Saudi Arabia,{{cite news |last1=Kaye |first1=Dalia Dassa |title=The Case Against an Israeli-Saudi Deal |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/case-against-israeli-saudi-deal |work=Foreign Affairs |date=17 August 2023 |quote=In an early August interview with Bloomberg, Netanyahu...called the Palestinian issue no more than a “checkbox” and reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state.}}{{cite news |title=Israel-Saudi peace can end all hope for Palestinian statehood – opinion |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-754207 |work=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=10 August 2023 |language=en |quote=To which [Palestinian state] Bibi emphatically says, 'No, never.' Many in Israel and elsewhere are confident that the Saudis aren’t really serious about Palestinian statehood and are unwilling to sacrifice their own interests for it.}}{{cite news |title=Netanyahu: Normalisation with Saudi not linked to creation of Palestinian state |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-netanyahu-normalisation-with-saudi-not-linked-to-creation-of-palestinian-state/ |publisher=Middle East Monitor |date=August 8, 2023}} Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said normalization with Israel was "for the first time real".{{#invoke:cite news||last1=Kingsley |first1=Patrick |last2=Kershner |first2=Isabel |date=7 October 2023 |title=Israel-Gaza Conflict: Gaza and Israel on War Footing After Militants Launch Surprise Assaults |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/07/world/israel-gaza-attack |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007075901/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/07/world/israel-gaza-attack |archive-date=7 October 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023 |work=The New York Times}} This was an apparent reversal of Saudi policy, articulated in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, when Saudi Arabia had offered Israel normalization with the whole Arab world if Israel allows the creation of a Palestinian state.{{cite news |last1=Ackerman |first1=Spencer |author1-link=Spencer Ackerman |title=A Mideast Deal Signed in Blood |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/israel-us-saudi-arabia-deal-palestine-gaza/ |publisher=The Nation |date=10 October 2023 |quote=It is not lost on anyone, least of all the Palestinians, that in 2002, then–Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz conditioned recognition for Israel on Palestinian statehood. Now–Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has removed that condition.}}{{cite news |last1=Lawati |first1=Abbas Al |title=Mideast and US leaders tried to sweep the Palestinian issue under the rug. That may not work anymore |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/11/middleeast/israel-palestine-us-saudi-normalization-mime-intl/index.html |work=CNN |publisher=CNN News |date=11 October 2023 |language=en |quote=[MBS] effectively abandoning a two-decade-old Saudi pledge to only make peace with Israel after it fully withdraws from land it occupies.}}{{cite news |last1=Haq |first1=Sana Noor |title=Netanyahu says Israel nears normalization deal with Saudi Arabia but refuses to outline concessions to Palestinians |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/22/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-cnn-interview-intl/index.html |work=CNN |date=22 September 2023 |language=en |quote=[bin Salman] stopped short of calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which has been Riyadh’s official stance for two decades.}}{{cite news |last1=Magid |first1=Jacob |title=Saudis putting aside Arab Peace Initiative amid Israel normalization talks – officials |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudis-putting-aside-arab-peace-initiative-amid-israel-normalization-talks-officials/ |date=26 September 2023}} Israeli and other officials involved in the negotiations confirmed that the Saudis were considering normalization with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.{{cite news |last1=Nakhoul |first1=Samia |title=Exclusive: US-Saudi defence pact tied to Israel deal, Palestinian demands put aside |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us-saudi-defence-pact-tied-israel-deal-palestinian-demands-put-aside-2023-09-29/ |publisher=Reuters |date=September 29, 2023}} Many Palestinians worried that Israeli-Saudi normalization would cost them their last significant leverage for Palestinian statehood.{{cite news |last1=Shehada |first1=Muhammad |title=For the Palestinians, Israeli-Saudi normalization would be disastrous |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-08-14/ty-article-opinion/.premium/for-the-palestinians-israeli-saudi-normalization-would-be-disastrous/00000189-f364-d975-a9cf-fb77780c0000 |work=Haaretz |date=14 August 2023 |language=en}}

In October 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Numerous sources identified the lack of a Palestinian state as a cause of the war.{{cite magazine |last1=Matar |first1=Haggai |date=7 October 2023 |title=Gaza's shock attack has terrified Israelis. It should also unveil the context |url=https://www.972mag.com/gaza-attack-context-israelis/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231181619/https://www.972mag.com/gaza-attack-context-israelis/ |archive-date=31 December 2023 |access-date=31 December 2023 |magazine=+972 Magazine |publisher=+972 Magazine}}{{#invoke:cite news||last1=Sforza|first1=Lauren|date=9 October 2023|title=Tlaib, Bush criticized by Democrats over statements calling for end to Israel support|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4245770-tlaib-bush-criticized-by-democrats-over-statements-calling-for-end-to-israel-support/|access-date=31 December 2023}}{{#invoke:cite news||title=John Mearsheimer: Israel is choosing 'apartheid' or 'ethnic cleansing'|work=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-bottom-line/2023/12/16/john-mearsheimer-israel-is-choosing-apartheid-or-ethnic-cleansing|access-date=31 December 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Schenker |first1=Hillel |date=12 October 2023 |title=The Catastrophe of October 7. Why Did It Happen? |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/israel-gaza-hamas-war-netanyahu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231181618/https://www.thenation.com/article/world/israel-gaza-hamas-war-netanyahu/ |archive-date=31 December 2023 |access-date=31 December 2023 |magazine=The Nation}}{{#invoke:cite news||last1=Barghouti|first1=Mariam|title=On October 7, Gaza broke out of prison|work=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/10/14/on-october-7-gaza-broke-out-of-prison|access-date=31 December 2023}} The Associated Press wrote that Palestinians are "in despair over a never-ending occupation in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza".{{#invoke:cite news||last1=Federman|first1=Josef|last2=Adwan|first2=Issam|date=7 October 2023|title=Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation|work=AP News|url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2|url-status=live|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007073124/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2|archive-date=7 October 2023}} After Netanyahu invaded Gaza, he once again reiterated his opposition to the existence of a Palestinian state.{{cite news |title=Netanyahu says he told U.S. that he opposes Palestinian state in any postwar scenario |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/01/19/1225574007/netanyahu-says-he-told-u-s-that-he-opposes-palestinian-state-in-any-postwar-scen}}

Diplomatic efforts

{{Main|Israeli–Palestinian peace process}}

{{Original research section|date=January 2024}}

Security Council resolutions dating back to June 1976 supporting the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 lines were vetoed by the United States,Cattan, Henry. The Palestine question. 1988, p. 307 which supports a two-state solution but argued that the borders must be negotiated directly by the parties.

After the First Intifada began in 1987, considerable diplomatic work went into negotiations between the parties, beginning with the Madrid Conference in 1991. The most significant of these negotiations was the Oslo Accords, which officially divided Palestinian land into three administrative divisions and created the framework for how much of Israel's political borders with the Palestinian territories function today. The Accords culminated in the Camp David 2000 Summit, and follow-up negotiations at Taba in January 2001, which built explicitly on a two-state framework, but no final agreement was ever reached. The violent outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 had demonstrated the Palestinian public's disillusionment with the Oslo Accords and convinced many Israelis that the negotiations were in vain.

[[File:Israel-Palestine Diplomacy.svg|thumb|right|270px|

{{legend|#5fadff|Recognition of Israel only}}

{{legend|#cdcd9c|Recognition of both Israel and Palestinian State}}

{{legend|#FF4500|Recognition of Palestinian State only}}

{{legend|#000000|Israel and Palestinian State}}]]

In 2002, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (who would go on to be King from 2005 to 2015) proposed the Arab Peace Initiative, which garnered the unanimous support of the Arab League while Israeli leaders continually refuse to discuss the initiative. President Bush announced his support for a Palestinian state, opening the way for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1397, supporting a two-state solution.{{cite book|last1=Caplan|first1=Neil|title=The Israel–Palestine Conflict: Contested Histories|year=2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1444357868|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyAgn_dD43cC&q=UNDOC/GEN/N02/283/59/PDF/N0228359.pdf|access-date=29 November 2016|chapter=Camp David Revisited; Intifada Redux}}{{Page needed|date=October 2020}}{{cite web|last1=D. Jones|first1=Bruce|title=216|url=https://archive.org/stream/BooksCommunistManifestoEssaysArticlesReports-VariousPdfFiles2/TheWarsOnTerrorismAndIraq-HumanRightsUnilateralismAndUsForeignPolicy_djvu.txt|access-date=29 November 2016}}

At the Annapolis Conference in November 2007, three major parties{{snd}}The PLO, Israel, and the US{{snd}}agreed on a two-state solution as the outline for negotiations. However, the summit failed to achieve an agreement.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Following the conflict that erupted between the two main Palestinian parties, Fatah and Hamas, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, splintering the Palestinian Authority into two polities, each claiming to be the true representatives of the Palestinian people. Fatah controlled the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Hamas Governed in Gaza.

The latest initiatives were the 2013–14 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks under the guidance of John Kerry, the United States Secretary of State. These talks also failed to reach an agreement.

Viability

By 2010, when direct talks were scheduled to be restarted, continued growth of settlements on the West Bank and continued strong support of settlements by the Israeli government had greatly reduced the land and resources that would be available to a Palestinian state creating doubt among Palestinians and left-wing Israelis that a two-state solution continued to be viable.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/world/middleeast/21assess.html|title=In Mideast Talks, Scant Hopes From the Beginning|first=Ethan|last=Bronner|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 20, 2010|accessdate=August 21, 2010}}

In January 2012 the European Union Heads of Mission report on East Jerusalem found that Israel's continuing settlement activities and the fragile situation of the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem, as well in area C, was making a two-state solution less likely.{{cite web|first=Amira|last=Hass|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-report-israel-policy-in-west-bank-endangers-two-state-solution-1.406945?localLinksEnabled=false|title=EU report: Israel policy in West Bank endangers two-state solution|website=Haaretz|date=12 January 2012}} The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected this EU report, claiming it was "based on a partial, biased and one sided depiction of realities on the ground."{{cite web|first=Barak|last=Ravid|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-israel-s-policies-in-the-west-bank-endanger-two-state-solution-1.430421?localLinksEnabled=false|title=EU: Israel's policies in the West Bank endanger two-state solution|website=Haaretz|date=14 May 2012}} In May 2012, the EU council stressed its "deep concern about developments on the ground which threaten to make a two-state solution impossible'.{{cite web|title=Council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process – 3166th Foreign Affairs Council meeting|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/d-il/dv/cclmepp14052012/cclmepp14052012en.pdf|publisher=Council of the European Union|access-date=29 November 2016|date=May 14, 2012}}

On 29 November 2012, the UN General Assembly voted by 138 to 9, with 46 abstentions to recognize Palestine as a "non-member observer state". On the following day, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced the building of 3,000 new homes on land to the east of East Jerusalem, in an area referred to as "E-1".{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/11/30/166252247/israel-plans-to-expand-settlements-in-east-jerusalem-west-bank|title=Israel Plans To Expand Settlements In East Jerusalem, West Bank|website=NPR|date=30 November 2012|accessdate=5 December 2012}} The move was immediately criticized by several countries, including the United States, with Israeli ambassadors being personally called for meetings with government representatives in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, among others. Israel's decision to build the homes was described by the Obama administration as "counterproductive", while Australia said that the building plans "threaten the viability of a two-state solution". This is because they claim the proposed E-1 settlement would physically split the lands under the control of the Palestinian National Authority in two, as the extent of the PNA's authority does not extend all the way to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-e1-israeli-settlement-20121204,0,1913186.story|title=Israel takes a harder line|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 4, 2012|accessdate=December 5, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=294520|title=Australia joins countries criticizing settlements|website=Jerusalem Post|date=December 4, 2012|accessdate=December 5, 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/12/04/israel-east-jerusalem-settlements/1744829/|title=Israel to advance East Jerusalem building plans|newspaper=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|date=December 4, 2012|accessdate=December 5, 2012}} Israel's Labor party has voiced support for the two-state solution, with Isaac Herzog stating it would be "in Israel's interests".{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/two-state-policy-settlements-on-benjamin-netanyahus-agenda/news-story/fbafc7a043f16b854f0fcc7f04563fd3|title=Two state policy, settlements on Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda|work=The Australian|date=February 20, 2017|access-date=February 22, 2017}}

In March 2015, Netanyahu declared that a Palestinian state would not be established during his administration,{{cite news|first=Moran|last=Azulay|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4637673,00.html|title=Netanyahu says no Palestinian state if he remains PM|website=Ynet|date=16 March 2015|quote=Whoever moves to establish a Palestinian state or intends to withdraw from territory is simply yielding territory for radical Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel}} while he also stated that he disapproved the one-state solution for the ongoing conflict between two people.{{cite web|first=Harriet |last=Salem |url=https://news.vice.com/article/us-says-it-will-re-evaluate-approach-to-israeli-palestinian-conflict-after-netanyahu-election-win |title=Netanyahu Backtracks on Election Pledge to Refuse a Two-State Solution After Sharp Words from the US |work=Vice |date=19 March 2015}}

After the Trump administration's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017, Palestinian officials said the policy change "destroys the peace process" and the decision indirectly meant the United States was "abdicating its role as a peace mediator"{{Cite news |title=World reacts to Trump move on Jerusalem |website=BBC News |access-date=December 11, 2017 |date=December 7, 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42250340}} that could no longer act as a mediator in the peace process because the United States had become a party to the dispute instead of neutral intercessor for negotiations.{{Cite web |title=Arab League condemns US Jerusalem move |date=December 10, 2017 |access-date=December 12, 2017 |website=al-Jazeera |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/arab-league-condemns-move-dangerous-illegal-171209185754563.html}}

A 2021 survey among 521 scholars who have dedicated their professional lives to the study of this region and its politics, found that 52 percent of respondents believed the two-state solution is no longer possible. If a two-state solution is not achieved, 77 percent predict "a one-state reality akin to apartheid" and 17 percent "one-state reality with increasing inequality, but not akin to apartheid"; one percent think a binational state with equal rights for all inhabitants is likely.{{cite news |first1=Marc |last1=Lynch |first2=Shibley |last2=Telhami |date=19 February 2021 |title=Biden says he will listen to experts. Here is what scholars of the Middle East think. |website=Brookings Institution |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/02/19/biden-says-he-will-listen-to-experts-here-is-what-scholars-of-the-middle-east-think/ |access-date=19 March 2022}}

Settlements in the West Bank

UN resolutions affirm the illegality of settlements in West Bank, including East Jerusalem, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 passed in December 2016.{{cite web|title=A/RES/68/15 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 26 November 2013 – General Assembly |url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/68/15 |publisher=The United Nations |access-date=29 November 2016 |date=January 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913032000/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F68%2F15 |archive-date=13 September 2016}} As of November 2023, there are at least 700,000 Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem across 150 settlements and 128 outposts.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=Who are Israeli settlers, and why do they live on Palestinian lands? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/6/who-are-israeli-settlers-and-why-do-they-live-on-palestinian-lands |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Al Jazeera}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-28 |title=Human Rights Council Hears that 700,000 Israeli Settlers are Living Illegally in the Occupied West Bank – Meeting Summary (Excerpts) |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/human-rights-council-hears-that-700000-israeli-settlers-are-living-illegally-in-the-occupied-west-bank-meeting-summary-excerpts/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=United Nations}} More than three-quarters of the existing settlements have been constructed since the Oslo Accords.{{Cite web |last=Graziano |first=Manlio |author-link=Manlio Graziano |date=2024-02-28 |title=The Two-State Solution Is a Recipe for Carnage |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/05/israel-palestine-two-state-solution-partition-carnage-ethnic-cleansing/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Foreign Policy}}

The establishment and expansion of the illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank constitute a major challenge to the possibility of a two-state solution by "violating Palestinian sovereignty, threatening civil peace and security, jeopardizing water resources, and blocking agricultural development."{{Cite web |last=Owda |first=Reham |date=2023-03-07 |title=How Israeli Settlements Impede the Two-State Solution |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2023/03/how-israeli-settlements-impede-the-two-state-solution?lang=en |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}} This has progressively reduced Area A and B of the West Bank territory to a "shrinking archipelago of enclaves".{{Cite web |last=Meakem |first=Allison |date=2024-02-28 |title=The Geopolitics of Palestine, Explained |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/10/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-hamas-war-geography-history/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Foreign Policy}}

Proposals have been offered for over 50 post-evacuation compensation of settlers for abandoned property{{Clarify|reason=The preceding words do not make sense|date=April 2024}}, as occurred following Israel's withdrawal of settlements from Gaza in 2005 and from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982.{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0108/010816.html|title=Israel OKs compensation for settlers leaving Sinai|date=January 8, 1982|first=Karla|last=Vallance|work=Christian Science Monitor}} Some settlers in those previous withdrawals were forcibly removed by the IDF.{{Cite news |last=Sharon |first=Jeremy |date=2022-07-21 |title=Police remove all settler activists from illegal outpost, ending massive campaign |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/forces-dismantle-several-settler-encampments-hundreds-remain-at-new-illegal-outpost/ |work=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite news |date=2023-01-20 |title=Israeli forces remove West Bank settler outpost, riling rightists in government |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-remove-west-bank-settler-outpost-riling-rightists-government-2023-01-20/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |work=Reuters}}

Public opinion in Israel and Palestine

File:No to the annexation 006.jpg, Tel Aviv-Yafo, June 6, 2020]]

In a 2002 poll conducted by PIPA, 72% of both Palestinians and Israelis supported at that time a peace settlement based on the 1967 borders so long as each group could be reassured that the other side would be cooperative in making the necessary concessions for such a settlement.{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/137.php?nid=&id=&pnt=137&lb=brme|title=Large Israeli and Palestinian Majorities Indicate Readiness for Two-State Solution Based on 1967 Borders|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405210125/http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/137.php?nid=&id=&pnt=137&lb=brme|archive-date=2008-04-05}} A 2013 Gallup poll found 70% of Palestinians in the West Bank and 48% of Palestinians in Gaza Strip, together with 52% of Israelis supporting "an independent Palestinian state together with the state of Israel".{{cite web|first1=Lydia|last1=Saad|first2=Elizabeth|last2=Mendes|title=Israelis, Palestinians Pro Peace Process, but Not Hopeful|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/161456/israelis-palestinians-pro-peace-process-not-hopeful.aspx|website=Gallup.com|access-date=29 November 2016|date=March 21, 2013}}

Support for a two-state solution varies according to the way the question is phrased. Some Israeli journalists suggest that the Palestinians are unprepared to accept a Jewish State on any terms.{{cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Jeffrey|title=Book Review {{!}} 'One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict,' by Benny Morris|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/books/review/Goldberg-t.html?_r=1&ref=books|website=The New York Times|access-date=29 November 2016|date=20 May 2009}}{{cite web|last1=Stephens|first1=Bret|authorlink1=Bret Stephens|title=The No-State Solution|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123180651247875547|website=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=29 November 2016|date=14 January 2009|quote=The No-State Solution ; Hamas cares more about Shariah than 'Palestine'}} According to one poll, "fewer than 2 in 10 Arabs, both Palestinian and all others, believe in Israel's right to exist as a nation with a Jewish majority."{{cite news|title=The two-state 'solution' mirage, Time for reality-based diplomacy on Israel and Palestinians|first=Tony|last=Blankley|date=May 19, 2009|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/19/the-two-state-solution-mirage/|newspaper=The Washington Times}} Another poll, however, cited by the US State Department, suggests that "78 percent of Palestinians and 74 percent of Israelis believe a peace agreement that leads to both states living side by side as good neighbors" is "essential or desirable".{{cite web|url=http://www.america.gov/st/mena-english/2009/July/200907021105032SAdemahoM0.6612164.html |first=Ahmed |last=Mohamed |date=July 2, 2009 |title=Polls Show Vast Support for Two-State Mideast Peace Solution |access-date=January 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208142417/http://www.america.gov/st/mena-english/2009/July/200907021105032SAdemahoM0.6612164.html |archive-date=February 8, 2010}}{{cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Gil|date=July 15, 2011|title=6 in 10 Palestinians reject 2-state solution, survey finds|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=229493|access-date=April 12, 2016|website=Jerusalem Post}}

In 2021, a poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research revealed that 39% of Palestinians supported "the concept of the two-state solution", while 59% said they rejected it.{{Cite web|last=|date=December 27, 2021|title=Public Opinion Poll No (82)|url=http://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/866|access-date=January 20, 2022|website=www.pcpsr.org|publisher=Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research}} Support is even lower among younger Palestinians; in 2008, then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted: "Increasingly, the Palestinians who talk about a two-state solution are my age."{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-israel-one-statemay14,0,5082382.story|title=Can 2 foes live under 1 roof?|first1=Richard|last1=Boudreaux|first2=Ashraf|last2=Khalil|work=Chicago Tribune|date=May 14, 2008|access-date=June 17, 2008}} A survey taken before the outbreak of fighting in 2014 by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) found that 60 percent of Palestinians say the goal of their national movement should be "to work toward reclaiming all of historic Palestine from the river to the sea" compared to just 27 percent who endorse the idea that they should work "to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and achieve a two-state solution." WINEP says that "this is a new finding compared to similar (but not identical) questions asked in the past, when support for a two-state solution typically ranged between 40–55 percent".{{cite web|first=David|last=Pollock|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/new-palestinian-poll-shows-hardline-views-some-pragmatism-too|title=New Palestinian Poll Shows Hardline Views, But Some Pragmatism Too|publisher=Washington Institute for Near East Policy|date=June 25, 2014|accessdate=November 4, 2023}} By 2020, 40% in Gaza and 26% in the West Bank believe that a negotiated two-state solution should solve the conflict. Another report, published also in 2021 by the RAND Corporation, found that also 60% of Israelis across the political spectrum were opposed to a two-state solution.{{Cite web|date=February 10, 2021|title=Israelis unwilling to risk two-state solution, says new report|url=https://phys.org/news/2021-02-israelis-unwilling-two-state-solution.html|access-date=March 13, 2021|website=phys.org}}

The two-state solution enjoyed majority support in Israeli polls although there has been some erosion to its prospects over time.{{citation|url=http://www.reut-institute.org/Publication.aspx?PublicationId=1753|title=Is One State Enough?|publisher=Reut Institute|date=12 June 2007|access-date=2008-01-01|archive-date=2014-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418144059/http://www.reut-institute.org/Publication.aspx?PublicationId=1753|url-status=dead}} A 2014 Haaretz poll asking "Consider that in the framework of an agreement, most settlers are annexed to Israel, Jerusalem will be divided, refugees won't return to Israel and there will be a strict security arrangement, would you support this agreement?", only 35% of Israelis said yes.{{cite web|last1=Yglesias|first1=Matthew|title=One thing Israelis and Palestinians agree on: they don't like the two-state solution|url=https://www.vox.com/2014/7/16/5897921/one-thing-israelis-and-palestinians-agree-on-they-dont-like-the-two|website=Vox|access-date=29 November 2016|date=16 July 2014}}

According to a 2021 PCPSR poll, support for a two-state solution among Palestinians and Israeli Jews, as of 2021, had declined to 43 percent and 42 percent, respectively.{{Cite web |title=What Do Palestinians Want? |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/what-do-palestinians-want |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy}}{{Cite web |date=2020-10-26 |title=The Palestine/Israel Pulse, a Joint Poll Summary Report |url=https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/823 |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=pcpsr.org}} According to Middle East experts David Pollock and Catherine Cleveland, as of 2021, the majority of Palestinians said they wanted to reclaim all of historic Palestine, including pre-1967 Israel. A one-state solution with equal rights for Arabs and Jews was ranked second.

Some researchers argue that the two-state solution has already been implemented because Jordan, which makes up 78% of the former Mandatory Palestine, was originally created as a state for the Arabs.{{cite web | first=Stephen |last=Crane |url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/two-state-solution-but-where/ | title=Two-state solution, but where? |newspaper=Times of Israel|date=June 25, 2019 |accessdate=November 4, 2023}}{{cite web|date=October 6, 2022|title=Jordan Is the Reason There Is No Palestinian State and Minorities Are Threatened|first=Jason|last=Shvili|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/10/06/jordan-is-the-reason-there-is-no-palestinian-state-and-minorities-are-threatened/|website=The Algemeiner}}{{cite news | first=Sidney | last=Zion | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/05/opinion/is-jordan-palestine-of-course.html | title=Opinion | Is Jordan Palestine ? Of Course | work=The New York Times | date=5 October 1982}}

In December 2022, support for a two-state solution was 33% among Palestinians, 34% among Israeli Jews, and 60% among Israeli Arabs. 82% of Israeli Jews and 75% of Palestinians believed that the other side would never accept the existence of their independent state.{{cite news |title=Israeli, Palestinian support for two-state solution declines – poll |url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-752542 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=29 July 2023}}

At the end of October 2023, the two-state solution had the support of 71.9% of Israeli Arabs and 28.6% of Israeli Jews.{{cite magazine |last=Gordon |first=Anna |date=10 November 2023 |title=What Israelis Think of the War With Hamas |url=https://time.com/6333781/israel-hamas-poll-palestine/ |access-date= |magazine=Time}} Prior to the October 7 attack, according to Gallup, just 24% of Palestinians supported a two-state solution, a drop from 59% in 2012.{{Cite web |last=Loschky |first=Jay |date=2023-10-18 |title=Palestinians Lack Faith in Biden, Two-State Solution |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/512828/palestinians-lack-faith-biden-two-state-solution.aspx |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=Gallup}}

= Notable individuals =

Ehud Olmert, Israel's Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009, told Politico on 16 October 2023 that the two-state solution "is the only real political solution for this lifelong conflict".{{Cite news |last=Dobelli |first=Rolf |date=2023-10-16 |title='The Only Real Political Solution': Ehud Olmert on the 2-State Option and the War in Israel |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/16/ehud-olmert-q-a-00121787 |access-date=2023-12-21}} On 6 November 2023, he told CBC that "a two-state solution should still be the goal of the Israeli government".{{Cite news |last=Ramsaran |first=Sarah |date=2023-11-06 |title=Former Israeli and Palestinian PMs say a two-state solution is still possible |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/former-palestinian-israeli-prime-minister-peace-plan-1.7019346 |access-date=2023-12-21}}

Ehud Barak, Israel's Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001 and Minister of Defense from 2007 to 2013, told TIME on 6 November 2023 that "The right way is to look to the two-state solution".

Interviewed by Ezra Klein on 8 December 2023, Nimrod Novik, a member of the executive committee of Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), reiterated the CIS's view that the two-state solution is "the only solution that [...] serves Israel’s security and well-being long-term."{{Cite news |last=Klein |first=Ezra |date=2023-12-08 |title=Opinion {{!}} A Different Path Israel Could Have Taken – and Maybe Still Can |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-nimrod-novik.html |access-date=2023-12-22 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}

Ami Ayalon, the head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service from 1995 to 2000, said on 14 January 2024 in an interview with The Guardian that "Israel will not have security until Palestinians have their own state".{{Cite news |last1=Graham-Harrison |first1=Emma |last2=Kierszenbaum |first2=Quique |date=2024-01-14 |title=Ex-Shin Bet head says Israel should negotiate with jailed intifada leader |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/14/shin-bet-ami-ayalon-calls-on-israel-release-intifada-leader-marwan-barghouti |access-date=2024-01-17 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}

On 17 July 2024, Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa, signed a joint proposal{{Cite web |last1=Olmert |first1=Ehud |last2=AlKidwa |first2=Nasser |date=2024-07-17 |title=Proposal By Former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud olmert and Former Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian Authority Nasser AlKidwa |url=https://img.mako.co.il/2024/08/30/Proposal.pdf?Partner=interlink |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Mako}} for an end to the Gaza war, and subsequent steps towards a two-state solution.{{Cite news |last=Fink |first=Rachel |date=2024-09-09 |title='Both Sides Are Tired of War': Ex-Israeli PM Olmert Makes Two-state Proposal With Former Palestinian Minister |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-09/ty-article/.premium/both-sides-are-tired-of-war-ex-pm-olmert-makes-two-state-proposal-with-ex-pa-minister/00000191-d7ae-d233-a5d3-ffbf31530000 |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Haaretz}}{{Cite web |date=2024-09-09 |title=Ehud Olmert and Nasser al-Qudwa elaborate two-state proposal and agreement to end war |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-819251 |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2024-08-30 |title=Ex-PM Olmert, ex-PA foreign minister propose plan for two-state solution to conflict |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ex-pm-olmert-ex-pa-foreign-minister-propose-plan-for-two-state-solution-to-conflict/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite news |last=Zakaria |first=Fareed |date=2024-09-08 |title=On GPS: The path towards a two-state solution |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/08/world/video/gps-0908-the-path-to-a-two-state-solution |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=CNN}}

Yair Golan, former IDF deputy chief of staff and current leader of The Democrats, a political party formed by a merger of the Israeli Labor Party and Meretz, said in a July 2024 interview with the Guardian, "Our vision is a two-state solution [...]".{{Cite news |last=McKernan |first=Bethan |date=2024-08-12 |title='I'm not sure Israel is a democratic state any more': Yair Golan's mission to save his country |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/12/im-not-sure-israel-is-a-democratic-state-any-more-yair-golans-mission-to-save-his-country |access-date=2024-09-11 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

International positions regarding two-state solution

Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, multiple governments renewed the long-dormant idea of a two-state solution. This received serious pushback from Israel's government, especially from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

= Support =

== Global Alliance for the Implementation of a Palestinian State and a Two-State Solution ==

On 26 September 2024, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide co-chaired a meeting of representatives of about 90 countries, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to launch a global alliance to strive for a two-state solution.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-30 |title=Global alliance launched to support Palestinian state amid ongoing conflicts |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-822518 |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Lederer |first=Edith |date=2024-09-29 |title=Europeans, Arab and Muslim nations launch a new initiative for an independent Palestinian state |url=https://apnews.com/article/un-norway-palestinian-state-saudi-arabia-eu-c9116cdb5f23574e668de65f6a7aca71 |access-date=2024-10-02 |work=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |last=Tanios |first=Clauda |date=2024-09-27 |title=Saudi Arabia forms global alliance to push for Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-forms-global-alliance-push-israeli-palestinian-two-state-solution-2024-09-27/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |work=Reuters}}{{Cite news |date=2024-09-29 |title=Foreign Minister Delivers Saudi Arabia's Speech at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly |url=https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/N2179632 |access-date=2024-10-02 |work=Saudi Press Agency}} Subsequent meetings of the alliance took place in October 2024 in Riyadh, in November 2024 in Brussels and in January 2025 in Oslo.{{Cite news |last= |date=2024-10-30 |title=Riyadh hosts first meeting of 'international alliance' pushing for Palestinian state |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/riyadh-hosts-first-meeting-of-international-alliance-pushing-for-palestinian-state/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Times of Israel |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last= |date=2025-01-13 |title=Norway to host 3rd meeting of 'international alliance' pushing for Palestinian state |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/norway-to-host-3rd-meeting-of-international-alliance-pushing-for-palestinian-state/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Times of Israel |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2025-01-15 |title=World must keep pressure on Israel after Gaza truce: Palestinian PM |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250115-world-must-keep-pressure-on-israel-after-gaza-truce-palestinian-pm |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=France 24 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-15 |title=List of participants. Third follow-up meeting in the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, Oslo 15 January |url=https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/ae5027f9f6974a0d83f6b6c1fcd2f503/list-of-participants.-third-follow-up-meeting-in-the-global-alliance-for-the-implementation-of-the-two-state-solution-oslo-15-january.pdf |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=Government.no}}

== G7 ==

In the statement issued after their virtual meeting of 6 December 2023, the Leaders of the G7 wrote that they are "committed to a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution that enables both Israelis and Palestinians to live in a just, lasting, and secure peace."{{Cite web |last=Leaders of the Group of Seven |date=2023-12-06 |title=G7 Leaders' Statement |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/12/06/g7-leaders-statement-6/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=The White House}}

== European Union ==

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on 15 November 2023: "We need to work with our regional partners towards [...] the two-state solution [...] it remains the only viable way to bring peace to the region."{{Cite web |last=Borrell |first=Josep |date=2023-11-15 |title=What the EU stands for on Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict |url=https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/what-eu-stands-gaza-and-israeli-palestinian-conflict_en |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=The Diplomatic Service of the European Union}}

In her address to the G20 leaders on 22 November 2023, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: "We have to [...] work for a two-state solution. This is the only way to ensure lasting peace for Israeli and Palestinian people as neighbours."{{Cite web |last=von der Leyen |first=Ursula |date=2023-11-22 |title=Remarks by President von der Leyen at the G20 Leaders' Summit |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_23_5987 |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=European Commission}}

== Arab League ==

In a statement issued following its 16 May 2024 meeting in Manama, the 22-member Arab League called for an international conference "to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution".{{Cite news |date=2024-05-16 |title=Arab League calls for deployment of UN peacekeepers in Palestinian territories |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240516-arab-leaders-head-to-bahrain-for-gaza-focused-summit |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=France 24}}

== United States ==

President Joe Biden had made numerous statements in favour of a two-state solution, as have Secretary of State Antony Blinken{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=2023-11-15 |title=Biden Says a 'Real' Palestinian State Must Come After War |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/world/middleeast/biden-palestinian-gaza-hamar-israel-war.html |access-date=2023-12-20 |issn=0362-4331}} and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.{{Cite news |last=Magid |first=Jacob |date=2023-12-18 |title=US defense secretary: 'Ongoing instability and insecurity only play into Hamas's hands' |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-defense-secretary-ongoing-instability-and-insecurity-only-play-into-hands-of-hamas |access-date=2023-12-22}}

== China ==

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stated that "China calls for [...] the formulation of a specific timetable and road map for the implementation of the 'two-state solution'".{{Cite news |date=2024-01-15 |title=China urges larger-scale Gaza peace conference as conflict escalates |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china-calls-larger-scale-peace-conference-gaza-crisis-wang-yi-2024-01-15/ |access-date=2024-01-17 |work=Reuters}}

== Germany ==

Germany, in a governmental declaration of 2021, repeated in November 2023, wished for an independent Palestinian state side by side with Israel, in peace with each other, and 'based on the 4 June 1967 borders' unless 'the conflicting parties agree' about changing those borders, while also the Palestinian refugee problem "needs a just and realistic solution".{{Cite web |date=2023-11-13 |title=Germany stands by Israel – and is seeking to bring about a de-escalation |url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/germany-stands-by-israel-and-is-seeking-to-bring-about-a-de-escalation-2228294 |access-date=2023-12-20 |website=Website of the Federal Government {{!}} Bundesregierung}}

In November 2023, Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeated Germany's call for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.{{Cite news |last=Rinke |first=Andreas |date=2023-11-18 |title=Germany's Scholz criticises Israel's settlements in occupied West Bank |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/germanys-scholz-criticises-israels-settlements-occupied-west-bank-2023-11-18/ |access-date=2023-12-20 |work=Reuters}}

== India ==

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, at the February 2024 Munich Security Conference ('Peace through Dialogue'), referring to the prevailing situation in Gaza, said that a two-state solution to the Palestine issue is now "more urgent" than before.{{Cite news |last=Abbas |first=Ajmal |date=2024-02-18 |title=Two-state solution for Palestine 'urgent': S Jaishankar calls for 'permanent fix' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/s-jaishankar-india-israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestine-2-state-solution-2503617-2024-02-18 |access-date=2024-03-14 |work=India Today}}

== United Kingdom ==

The previous Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary David Cameron, strongly advocated a two-state solution.{{Cite news |last=Gutteridge |first=Nick |date=2023-12-15 |title=Rishi Sunak clashes with Israeli ambassador over two-state solution|work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/12/14/rishi-sunak-israeli-ambassador-tzipi-hotovely-two-state/ |access-date=2023-12-20 |issn=0307-1235}} David Cameron and German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock published a joint statement, supporting a two-state solution.{{Cite news |last1=Cameron |first1=David |last2=Baerbock |first2=Annalena |date=2023-12-16 |title=David Cameron: Why the UK and Germany back a sustainable ceasefire |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/david-cameron-gaza-ceasefire-israel-palestine-war-s50x2kscw |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-12-20 |issn=0140-0460}} Keir Starmer, the current Prime Minister, wrote that the only solution that can break the cycle of violence is "a two-state solution, with Israel [...] safe and secure alongside the [...] Palestinian state.".{{Cite web |last=Starmer |first=Keir |date=2024-10-06 |title=Keir Starmer: Traumatising a generation won't heal the Middle East |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/keir-starmer-october-7-israel-pursuit-of-peace-mj76rngbc |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241006083644/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/keir-starmer-october-7-israel-pursuit-of-peace-mj76rngbc |archive-date=2024-10-06 |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=The Times |language=en}}

== France ==

President Emmanuel Macron has advocated a two-state solution.{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Michel |date=2023-10-23 |title=Macron flies to Israel to push for humanitarian truce, proposals |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/macron-flies-israel-push-humanitarian-truce-proposals-2023-10-23/ |access-date=2023-12-20}}

== Italy ==

Following a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated Italy's support for the two-state solution.{{Cite news |last=Mancini |first=Donato Paolo |date=2024-05-25 |title=Italy Resumes UNRWA Funding, Backs Arab-Led Gaza Peace Mission |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-25/italy-resumes-unrwa-funding-backs-arab-led-gaza-peace-mission |access-date=2024-05-29 |work=Bloomberg News}}

== Canada, Australia and New Zealand ==

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon have issued a joint statement, saying "We recommit ourselves to [...] a just and enduring peace in the form of a two-state solution".{{Cite web |date=2023-12-12 |title=Joint Statement by the Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand |url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2023/12/12/joint-statement-prime-ministers-australia-canada-and-new-zealand |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Prime Minister of Canada}}

== Saudi Arabia ==

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan has said that Saudi Arabia would be interested in a normalisation deal with Israel that is linked to a two-state solution.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-16 |title=Saudi FM urges ceasefire, says Riyadh interested in Israel normalization |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-fm-urges-ceasefire-says-riyadh-interested-in-israel-normalization |access-date=2024-01-17 |work=The Times of Israel}}

= Opposed =

== Israel ==

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly and emphatically rejected a two-state solution,{{Cite news |last=Lieber |first=Dov |date=2023-12-13 |title=Israel's Netanyahu Bets Political Survival on Opposing a Palestinian State |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israels-netanyahu-bets-political-survival-on-opposing-a-palestinian-state-9e78790f |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-12-20}}{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Mark |date=2023-12-17 |title=Benjamin Netanyahu is openly defying the US – and they want him gone |work=Sky News |url=https://news.sky.com/story/benjamin-netanyahu-is-openly-defying-the-us-and-they-want-him-gone-13032418 |access-date=2023-12-20}} emphasizing that "Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state."{{Cite news |last=|first=|date=2024-02-16 |title=Netanyahu rejects international pressure for Palestinian state |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-rejects-international-pressure-palestinian-state-2024-02-16/}}

== Iran ==

President Ebrahim Raisi has rejected a two-state solution, instead proposing a "single state based on ballot boxes involving Palestinians of all faiths".{{Cite news |date=2023-11-12 |title=Iran opposes two-state solution for Palestine, calls for 'democratic' solution |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231112-iran-opposes-two-state-solution-for-palestine-calls-for-democratic-solution/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |work=Middle East Monitor}}

Non-governmental supporters of a two-state solution

= North America =

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has strongly supported President Biden's calls for a two-state solution and criticised Prime Minister Netanyahu's opposition.{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Thomas L. |date=2023-11-14 |title=The Most Revealing Moment From My Trip to Israel |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/opinion/israel-war-biden.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-12-20 |issn=0362-4331}}

Twenty-seven former Jewish leaders of organizations including AIPAC, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Union for Reform Judaism, wrote a letter to President Biden on 14 December 2023, calling for a "steadfast US commitment to the pursuit of two states for two peoples".{{Cite news |last1=Caldwell |first1=Leigh Ann |last2=Meyer |first2=Theodoric |date=2023-12-18 |title=Messy primaries could upend Senate races |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/18/messy-primaries-could-upend-senate-races/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-12-20}}{{Cite news |date=2023-12-14 |title=Dear President Biden |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/cf3275db-bab3-4d8b-914d-b94567bab6da.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_115 |access-date=2023-12-20}}

= UK =

In "The Jewish Manifesto for the General Election 2024" published on 21 June 2024, the Board of Deputies of British Jews called for "a negotiated two-states model", resulting in "a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state".{{Cite web |date=2024-06-21 |title=The Jewish Manifesto 2024 |url=https://bod.org.uk/the-jewish-manifesto-2024/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=Board of Deputies of British Jews |language=en-GB}} On 17 July 2024, the Board of Deputies reaffirmed its support for "a two state solution with a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state."{{Cite web |date=2024-07-17 |title=Board of Deputies welcomes inclusion of Holocaust Memorial Bill in Government's legislative agenda |url=https://bod.org.uk/bod-news/board-of-deputies-welcomes-inclusion-of-holocaust-memorial-bill-in-governments-legislative-agenda/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=Board of Deputies of British Jews |language=en-GB}}

Other solutions

File:Trump Peace Plan Map.jpg for the creation of the State of Palestine.]]

The main alternative is the binational solution, which could either be a twin regime federalist arrangement or a unitary state.{{citation|url=http://www.reut-institute.org/Publication.aspx?PublicationId=346|title=One State Threat|publisher=Reut Institute|date=1 November 2004|access-date=2008-01-01|archive-date=2017-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630054834/http://www.reut-institute.org/Publication.aspx?PublicationId=346|url-status=dead}} Other alternatives are the three-state solution and the Jordanian option, also known as the "no-state solution".

= Three-state solution =

The three-state solution has been proposed as another alternative. The New York Times in 2009{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/world/middleeast/12egypt.html?hp |work=The New York Times |title=Crisis Imperils 2-State Plan, Shifting a Balance |first=Michael |last=Slackman |date=January 12, 2009 |access-date=March 28, 2010}} reported that Egypt and Jordan were concerned about having to retake responsibility for Gaza and the West Bank. In effect, the result would be Gaza returning to Egyptian rule, and the West Bank to Jordan.{{cite web|title=Israel-Palestine: The return of the Jordanian option|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=877534&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=1|website=Haaretz|access-date=30 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818214908/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=877534&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=1|archive-date=18 August 2007|date=3 July 2007}}

= Jordanian option =

The "Jordanian option" refers to various proposals aimed at resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through the involvement of the Kingdom of Jordan. These proposals generally involve Jordan retaking control of parts of the West Bank or establishing a federation or confederation with a Palestinian state.

In the 1950s and 1960s, King Hussein of Jordan and his officials promoted the idea that "Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan," aiming to present Jordanians and Palestinians as one unified people with a shared destiny.{{sfn|Shlaim|2008|p=206}}{{sfn|Sharnoff|2024|p=2}} Following the 1967 Six-Day War, which resulted in Jordan losing the West Bank to Israel, Israeli leaders Yigal Allon and Abba Eban presented King Hussein with the Allon Plan, which suggested returning parts of the West Bank to Jordan. However, disagreements over this plan led to a stalemate in negotiations.{{sfn|Shemesh|2010|pp=87, 92–95}} In 1986, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and King Hussein of Jordan reached an agreement advocating for a peaceful solution to the conflict based on a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation.{{sfn|Quandt|2005|pp=261–262}} This idea was further explored through the secret Peres–Hussein London Agreement of April 1987, resulting from covert discussions between Israel and Jordan.{{sfn|Peters|Newman|2015|pp=532}} In 1988, King Hussein renounced Jordan’s claims to the West Bank and Palestinian affairs.{{sfn|Peters|Newman|2015|pp=186}} Despite Jordanian opposition to the confederation idea, leading to limited advocacy from Israeli leaders,{{Cite news |last=Rosner |first=Shmuel |date=2018-09-21 |title=Opinion {{!}} Why the 'Jordanian Option' Won't Die |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/opinion/israel-peace-plan-jordan-kushner.html |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} renewed interest in the Jordanian option has emerged as a potential solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.{{Cite web |last=Ismaik |first=Hasan |date=2024-08-07 |title=Unite Jordan and Palestine{{snd}}Again |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/10/15/jordan-palestine-israel-annex-west-bank-israel-occupation/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Ben-Ami |first=Shlomo |date=2022-06-09 |title=A Jordanian Future for the West Bank? |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-jordanian-future-for-the-west-bank-11654788175 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}

= Dual citizenship =

A number of proposals for the granting of Palestinian citizenship or residential permits to Jewish settlers in return for the removal of Israeli military installations from the West Bank have been fielded by such individuals{{Cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014952.html|title=Let them stay in Palestine – Haaretz – Israel News|date=2010-01-17|access-date=2017-08-23|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117013813/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014952.html|archive-date=2010-01-17}} as Arafat,{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/arafat-may-allow-jewish-settlers-to-stay-in-west-bank-2939.html|title=Arafat may allow Jewish settlers to stay in West Bank|date=30 January 2001}} Ibrahim Sarsur{{Cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/715018.html|title=Arab MK: I would agree to grant settlers Palestinian citizenship}} and Ahmed Qurei.

Israeli Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in April 2010 that "just as Arabs live in Israel, so, too, should Jews be able to live in Palestine." ... "If we are talking about coexistence and peace, why the [Palestinian] insistence that the territory they receive be ethnically cleansed of Jews?"[http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=173302 'No need to remove any settlements'] By Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post, 16 April 2010

The idea has been expressed by both advocates of the two-state solution{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.co.il/com/Advertising/Ysadeh/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991006195817/http://www.jpost.co.il/com/Advertising/Ysadeh/|archive-date=6 October 1999|title=Jewish-Arab conflict}} and supporters of the settlers and conservative or fundamentalist currents in Israeli Judaism{{cite web|last1=El-Haddad |first1=Laila |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051101013515/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5EB5E1B3-B64F-43DF-A588-1C40FDDB0A83.htm |title=Interview: Israeli settler Avi Farhan |url=http://english.aljazeera.net:80/NR/exeres/5EB5E1B3-B64F-43DF-A588-1C40FDDB0A83.htm |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=29 November 2016 |archive-date=1 November 2005 |date=July 4, 2005 |url-status=dead}} that, while objecting to any withdrawal, claim stronger links to the land than to the state of Israel.

=New-state solution=

File:New-state solution.webp with Gaza and Israel on the right side.]]

The New-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict proposes to resolve the conflict by establishing a new city-state on the Sinai Peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea close to Arish. The implementation of a New-state solution would involve the establishment of a democratic independent sovereign State of Palestine away from the State of Israel in the current State of Egypt.{{cite web | url=https://thehill.com/opinion/international/445879-israeli-palestinian-conflict-can-end-with-the-new-state-solution/ | title=Israeli-Palestinian conflict can end with the New State Solution | date=29 May 2019}}

See also

References

{{reflist|1=30em

}}

Bibliography

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  • {{Cite journal |last=Sharnoff |first=Michael |date=2024 |title=Visualizing Palestine in Arab postage stamps: 1948–1967 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2024.2314523 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |publisher=Routledge |volume= 60|issue= 6|pages=979–999 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2024.2314523 |access-date=27 August 2024 |via=}}
  • {{Cite journal |last=Shemesh |first=Moshe |date=2010 |title=On Two Parallel Tracks{{snd}}The Secret Jordanian-Israeli Talks (July 1967–September 1973) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.87 |journal=Israel Studies |publisher=Indiana University Press |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=87–120 |doi=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.87 |jstor=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.87 |access-date=26 August 2024 }}
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Further reading

  • Aharon Cohen, Israel and the Arab World (Funk and Wagnalls, New York, 1970).