Tensions In The Middle East Renew Calls For Creation of Palestine | About The Two-State Solution With Israel

Following Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday night, the situation remains tense in the Middle East and West Asia region. With the threat of a regional war looming, nations across the world, including India, have called for restraint and an urgent cessation of all hostilities.

Iran’s attack on Tuesday, as per the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp, was a response to the recent Israeli killing of two of its commanders and several militant leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and more.

However, before the attack from Tehran, Iran’s proxy groups - Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen - intensified their attacks against Israel, as part of the spillover from the war in Gaza, which started on October 7, 2023.

Amid the rising tensions in the Middle East, nations from across the world have reiterated for the urgent need of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, which is at the origin of the decades-long conflict in the region.

Israel has time and again refused the implementation of a two-state solution with Palestine, stating that it will continue to fight for its security and safety “from the river to the sea”.

However, Israel’s major bombardment of the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank has sparked worldwide calls for the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine.

As the conflict deepens in the Middle East, the United Nations has also called the two-state solution as the only solution to peace and stability in the region. Speaking at a UN Security Counil meeting in January 2024, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a two-state solution and stated that “any refusal of this agreement for Israel and Palestine must be rejected”.

“The denial of the right to Statehood would indefinitely prolong the conflict, and a one-State solution — huge Palestinian populations inside that State without any real sense of freedom, rights and dignity — would be inconceivable.  The only way to address the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians is through the two-State formula,” said the UN Chief.

What Is The Two-State Solution About?

In layman's terms, the two-state solution refers to the creation of an independent Palestinian State, alongside Israel for lasting peace and stability in the region.

Despite the simple wording, the implementation of the two-state solution is expected to be a long and difficult process, which has also resulted in five wars between Israel and the neighbouring Arab nations.

The origins of the two-state solution date back to the British occupation of Palestine. Conflict arose between the Arab and Jewish populations, who migrated to the land from Europe, fleeing persecution and citing biblical ties to the land.

In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a partition plan for Palestine to separate the Arab and Jewish populations and with international rule over Jerusalem.

Following the withdrawal of British forces and the unilateral declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, five Arab states launched their attack on the Jewish state, marking the start of the first-ever Arab-Israeli war in 1948.

The war ended in Israeli victory with 77 percent of the territory in its control. Following this, Israel took control of West Jerusalem, East Jerusalem was taken over by Jordan and the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt.

This war also resulted in the fleeing and expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians, which has been referred to as the first Nakba.

Fast forward to the third Arab-Israel war, also known as the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights region from Syria, further expanding its territory and influence. With this, all of the historical Palestinian areas were now under Israeli control.

After this war, the UNSC passed Resolution 242, which called for Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories. This resolution was finally adopted in 1979 as part of the Camp David Accords. 

During the US-brokered deal, Israel also changed its stance on PLO and agreed to the formation of an autonomous self governing Palestinian authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

This framework further laid the foundation for the Oslo Accords, which were signed in 1993 and 1995. The Oslo Accords paved the way for Palestinian governance in the West Bank and Gaza and formalised the two-state solution. However, the promise of the creation of a Palestinian state was never materialised.

However, the peace process derailed due to certain notable incidents such as the assassination of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the Oslo Accords in 1995 and the rise of the right-wing Likud under Benjamin Netanyahu. And the rise of the Iran-backed Islamist militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

What Are The Challenges To The Two-State Solution?

Despite worldwide calls for the two-state solution, certain challenges for its implementation remain. Apart from Israel's refusal to establish a sovereign and independent Palestine, the most pressing issue at hand is the borders between Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Since 1948, Israel has never had clearly demarcated borders as it captured more territories as what was promised by the UN. In 1967, Israel expanded further and was in control of the entire historical region of Palestine.

Despite the withdrawal of the Israeli military, from the 1970s onwards, Israel started to push illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories. Due to this push from Israel, around 700,000 Jewish settlers are living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem regions.

The implementation of the two-state solution demands that the creation of Palestine should be based on the 1967 border. The 1967 border refers to the Green Line, which is the internationally recognised border between Israel and Palestine.

These borders are based on the 1949 Armistice Line between Israel and its neighbours. If a two-state solution is implemented on this basis, then Israel would be required to recall and withdraw all settlers.

However, with Israel already refusing to do so, many far-right leaders have continued to push for more settlements deeper into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Another challenge is the state of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the home to Al Aqsa - which is Islam's third holiest mosque. However, for Israel, Jerusalem holds the Western Wall, which is the holiest place in Judaism. With this, both states continue to fight over Jerusalem as the capital.