The ‘Two-State Solution’ Is No Solution

July 27, 2024

By Joseph Puder

The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) voted last week on a bill that opposes the establishment of a Palestinian State.  The bill explained that the creation of a Palestinian State now, or in the foreseeable future, poses an “existential danger” to the Jewish state.  A majority of 68 Knesset members voted for the bill, while 9 opposed it.  This vote was, in a way, a response to President Joe Biden’s call for a “two-state” solution. 

The trauma of October 7, experienced by the people of the mostly liberal Israeli kibbutzim in southern Israel, has made them distrustful of a Palestinian state.  This was particularly accentuated by the demonstration of support for the Hamas attacks among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.  Israelis have thus lost hope that enough Palestinians want to live alongside Israel rather than destroy it.  Moreover, the regime of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) in the West Bank is corrupt; unpopular; and incapable of managing a functioning, non-violent state for the foreseeable future. 

Even prior to October 7, it was clear that Ramallah (the seat of the P.A.) was incapable of stopping the violence in places like Jenin, Nablus, and Tul Karem.  In fact, P.A. security personnel would oftentimes join pro-Hamas terrorists in firing on Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) personnel.

The proximity of the West Bank to Israel’s population centers is a major consideration for Israeli rejection of a Palestinian state at this time.  The P.A. has repeatedly demonstrated that it cannot enforce its own laws on its population.  It continues to fuel hatred of Israel and Jews in school curricula, print and electronic media, and the mosques, while it and Fatah officials issue hateful statements about Israel and Jews.  P.A. sports and youth minister Jibril Rajoub recently called on the International Olympic Committee to deny Israel’s participation in the Olympic games.  Abu Mazen and his colleagues continue to malign Israel throughout the world, including their appeal to the International Court of Justice to punish Israel for alleged war crimes.

The current Palestinian ruling class have demonstrated that they have no interest in peace or accommodation with Israel.  It is unlikely that a Palestinian state will be demilitarized, and the Palestinians’ reluctance to foster a school curriculum dedicated to peace and tolerance makes it suicidal for Israel to agree to such a Palestinian state.  More important, perhaps, is the fact that in open and free elections in the West Bank (or Gaza), Hamas would easily prevail, and Israel would then be faced with a lethal, jihadist, terrorist entity doing Iran’s bidding, close to its population centers.

The resolution against a Palestinian state may evoke criticism from the Biden administration, but Israel must adhere to its own interests.  Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress and his bipartisan message will, nevertheless, be attacked by the “progressive” Democrats in Congress regarding Israel’s stance on the two-state solution. 

There is a solution to the issue of Palestinian sovereign rights and self-determination.  It is not a one-state solution or a two-state solution, but a reality that already exists in Jordan, where the Palestinians constitute roughly 80% of the population.  Jordan was originally part of the Palestine Mandate, but in 1922, the British cut off the eastern portion of the land mass (approximately 78% of the original portion), creating Transjordan (renamed Jordan in 1947), which was given to the Hashemite royal family from Saudi Arabia.  Jordan’s leading political and cultural figures are Palestinians, as are most of its members of parliament and Cabinet members, including its prime ministers.

In his autobiographical book Warrior (Simon and Schuster, 1989), Israel’s late prime minister and renowned general, Ariel Sharon, or Arik, as he was affectionally called, argued against Israel complying with the Nixon administration’s request to block the Syrian invasion of Jordan in September 1970, to aid the Palestinian takeover of Jordan.  After several attempted assassinations of King Hussein by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein unleashed his army against the Palestinians in what became a bloodbath, with approximately 8,000 Palestinian fighters killed.

Golda Meir, then Israel’s prime minister, complied with the U.S. request, and IDF armor was poised to attack the advancing Syrians.  Intimidated by Israel’s show of force, the Syrians halted their attack against Hussein and Jordan.