In defense of the two-state solution
VoxMay 26, 2021
Netanyahu Releases Plans for Post-War Gaza
Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday presented a plan regarding how Israel would manage Gaza after the war to his security Cabinet for approval. The plan posits that Israel would indefinitely control Gaza's security and civilian affairs.
In addition to the previously stated goals of destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages, and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, Israel would "maintain its operational freedom of action in the entire Gaza Strip" and establish a "buffer zone" inside the territory.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Israelis and Palestinians must make peace via a two-state solution. Though it may seem that it has never been as difficult to make peace, moderates must rise above the populist extremism of Hamas and the Israeli political right so the land can be shared. Both Israeli and Palestinian national aspirations are valid projects that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. The two-state solution may not be the most equitable or desirable for either side, but it's the most achievable outcome.
Pro-Israel narrative
Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state controlled by Hamas. Given the Palestinian Authority's inefficacy, Israel has no partners for peace, and the last 20 years in Gaza prove this. A violent, terrorist-run Palestinian state would be an existential threat to Israel's security.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel killed the two-state solution. There can't be a Palestinian state after nearly 75 years of Israeli policies effectively atomizing and dividing the Palestinian political scene and physical landscape via a system of apartheid and occupation. The only solution is to accept reality — Israel is an apartheid state that practices sovereignty over the region, and this apartheid must be dismantled so that all people residing in the land can live free as equals.
Nerd narrative
There's a 65% chance that Israel will have de facto power in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.