As the Gaza-Israel war goes into an eleventh day, many are becoming more aware of the tensions in the Middle East, such as the developments that led up to this point as well as who supports Israel and Palestine.
One question that arises often is the topic of the two-state solution. Governments and others in the global community hail it as the solution to end the conflict. But what is the two-state solution, and what does it entail?
The two-state solution was a proposed framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by establishing two states for two peoples: Israel for the Israelis and Palestine for the Palestinians.
This should not be confused with the The Partition Plan implemented in 1948, which resulted in an internationalised Israeli state but technically no Palestinian state, as the West Bank and Gaza Strip fell under Jordanian and Egyptian rule, respectively.
In 1993, the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) agreed on a plan to implement a two-state solution as part of the Oslo Accords.
Then in 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, Russia, and UN) released a Road Map to a two-state solution.
According to the Road Map, a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only be achieved through an end to violence “when the Palestinian people have a leadership acting decisively against terror and willing and able to build a practising democracy based on tolerance and liberty”.
The Road Map says the settlement should result in the emergence of an independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours. It also promised to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict and end the occupation that began in 1967.
However, it is worth noting that the Road Map was not considered to be a formal agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
What do the UN and world governments say?
Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres has repeatedly said that there is “no plan B to the two-state solution”.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has on several occasions set out a vision of “two peoples living freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect, each with its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government, and neither threatening the security or survival of the other”.
In 2002, former US president George W Bush also threw his weight behind it, echoing Netanyahu’s statement and envisioning the two states living side-by-side in peace and security.
On the other hand, former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan Mamdouh al-Abadi said the “two-state solution is a lie”.
The Road Map also mentioned “Israel’s readiness to do what is necessary for a democratic Palestinian state to be established”.
What do Israeli and Palestinians citizens say?
The Palestine Chronicle reported that according to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in 2022, support for the two-state solution has declined to below 50% among both Palestinian citizens of Israel and Jews in Israel.
According to the poll, only 39% of Israelis supported the two-state solution, compared to 46% in December 2019 and 54% in August 2017.
Among Palestinian citizens of Israel, 60% supported the two-state solution, compared to 79% in the previous poll.
Meanwhile, 31% of Jews in Israel supported the policy, compared to 44% in the previous poll.
IOL