The Unlikelihood of a Two-State Solution After October 7th
I am a Strong Proponent for a Two-State Solution. But External Forces Have Compelled Me to Abandon the Idea
A two-state solution sounds simple. Palestinians establish a country, and we keep ours. But to my dismay, it’s far more complex than that. The negotiation process, so intricate, makes envisioning a successful resolution exceedingly difficult. To succeed, we must address numerous critical issues, including mutual recognition, agreeing on borders, separating land, ensuring security, controlling Jerusalem, handling refugees, building trust, managing extremists, addressing economic disparities, and navigating external influences. As a result, extensive measures must happen to produce peace between Israel and Palestine. Unfortunately, the recent war has shattered the ambitions of a two-state solution, which, debatably, offers a path to stability and peace in a region that desperately needs both.
The likelihood of a two-state solution has been gradually decreasing since 1996, when Prime Minister Netanyahu took office after his criticism of the Oslo Accords resonated with voters and contributed to his election victory. Additionally, Netanyahu assures Israelis that a Palestinian country will never be established. To implement this, he initiates an increase in settlement construction to partition the West Bank, thereby making the establishment of a Palestinian country more difficult due to the significant Israeli population residing there. This enrages the Palestinian people, and with other factors such as poverty, inflation, the ineffectiveness of the PLO, and IDF-Palestinian aggression, a Second Intifada unfolds. Palestinians resort to terrorism and extremism as a response to their sense of despair and lack of hope for the future, while Israelis increasingly adopt more extremist views as a ‘last resort’.
Until 2005, terrorist attacks, from suicide bombings to stabbings, were being perpetuated daily to Israelis. However, with an unforeseen turn, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decides to withdraw from the bloc of settlements in the Gaza Strip, known as Gush Katif, through the involuntary removal of residents. Attempting to attain quiet in the region, diplomatic leverage, decrease of tensions, improved public perception of Israel, and ultimately, peace, Sharon’s move is viewed relatively positive.
A year after Sharon’s decision to vacate Gush Katif, elections were held in Gaza. Trouncing the incumbent Fatah party by a landslide, Hamas takes control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas’s democratic victory reflects a new wave of ordinary civilians opting to extremism. Additionally, Gazans begin to resonate with Hamas’s commitment to armed resistance against Israel, posing many threats to the conflict. While Hamas was expanding, strengthening, and consolidating from 2006 to 2023, Netanyahu, who returned to office in 2009, continues carving up the West Bank with settlements. During this period, it’s obvious Netanyahu doesn’t want a two-state solution, but he’s making it more difficult for future generations to achieve one.
And that’s when it happened. October 7th, 2023. This one day, completely annihilated and shattered the hopes of a two-state solution. The severity of October 7th highlighted several critical issues that have since made the prospect of peace increasingly unattainable. Here are the key reasons:
Firstly, the atrocities of 7/10 revealed just a sliver of what Hamas wants to perpetrate to Jews, leaving deep scars that cannot be forgotten nor forgiven. Furthermore, creating peace with them seems unthinkable, as their goals are genocidal. In addition, security concerns must be raised in withdrawing from the West Bank. The events following the departure from Gush Katif highlighted the risks involved, leading to increased calls for stricter surveillance and management of the West Bank and Gaza Strip post-war. This situation has prompted questions about the wisdom of allowing self-governance in these regions and has underscored the necessity of maintaining an IDF presence to prevent future atrocities. Moreover, the recent conflict has stimulated extremism on both sides. Figures like Ben-Gvir and far-right parties gain traction, while Hamas only continues growing because of Israel’s defensive response.
In juxtaposition with the war, even in a financial crisis in Israel, far-right parties continue increased settlement expansion in the West Bank. This move, championed by figures such as Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, further complicates the possibility of a peace process. The intensification of settlement activity signifies a shift towards a more hardline approach, reflecting growing distrust and a hardening stance within Israeli society.
While the possibility of a two-state solution was decreasing, October 7th served as a catalyst of the diminishing yearn and viability for it. Also, recent events create mistrust in Israelis and Palestinians, which mistrust leads to extremism, and extremism generates isolation and animosity between Israelis/Palestinians.
It’s this simple. Seeking to enhance the feasibility of a two-state solution is crucial to ensure the future generations of Jews in our biblical homeland. For this, to save the Jewish nation and create peace, seven main factors must occur:
- The IDF must fully diminish Hamas’s capabilities
- For the sake of democracy and for future generations, Netanyahu must be removed from office
- For the sake of reviving democracy and eliminating corruptness, Mahmoud Abbas must be removed from office
- New leaders must emerge, willing to make concessions for the greater good
- We must find a compromise of the settlements and A, B, C zones in the West Bank
- Foster dialogue, transparency, and enlightenment to ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians
- Teach Palestinians that violence, terrorism, and extremism, is not the option
But these simple proposals to some, are farfetched solicitations for our current politicians. Therefore, we pivot to the future generation to effect the necessary changes for peace. So, the fighting, the agony, the grief, the suffering, the extremism, the protests, and the tears, continue, marking the stalemate of an unfinished conflict.