Date of Publication: July 26
An influential Israeli columnist has caused international uproar with remarks claiming the vision of a Palestinian state no longer viable, calling upon world leaders to abandon what he called a dangerous illusion. These comments, published this week in Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, have generated strong reactions from diplomats, human rights organizations and commentators across the Middle East and beyond.
The column, entitled “The World Must Stop Pretending,” asserts that decades of diplomatic failure, entrenched political divisions and irreversible developments on the ground – such as Israeli settlement expansion or Hamas control in Gaza – have rendered the two-state solution obsolete.
“The international community clings to the two-state paradigm like an anchor,” according to one columnist, but now is time for all parties involved “to acknowledge what is obvious: an independent Palestinian state no longer exists – geographically, politically, or militarily.”
Though not stated explicitly in the initial excerpt distributed to media outlets worldwide, many believe the piece can be attributed to an Israeli security analyst with close ties to government and defense circles.
In his article, the author asserts that Israel should turn its focus towards new frameworks that prioritize long-term security, demographic balance and regional integration over failed diplomatic blueprints such as 1993 Oslo Accords which envisage Palestinian statehood alongside Israel. According to him, attempts by Western powers to revive the 1993 Oslo Accords is both “naive” and counterproductive.
Unsurprisingly, this piece has aroused considerable outrage among both Palestinian officials and advocates of a two-state solution. Saeb Khaled, a senior negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, denounced it as “an insult to international law and Palestinian aspirations.” He further asserted: “It isn’t so much the concept of a Palestinian state which has failed; rather it’s been political will to implement it that has been lacking.”
International response has been mixed; while some commentators see this op-ed as evidence of hardening sentiment within segments of Israeli society, others see it as an alarm bell for people around the world to act upon their rightful concerns about Israel and her neighbours.
Richard Gowan, UN Director at the International Crisis Group stated in a statement: “This is not something the world can allow itself to normalize. Abandoning the two-state framework without providing credible alternatives risks cementing permanent inequality and open-ended occupation.”
Israeli officials have not directly responded to this column; however, several senior officials have previously expressed skepticism regarding a Palestinian state due to security considerations and Hamas’s refusal to recognize Israel as legitimate states.
As tensions escalate in the West Bank and Gaza, this op-ed adds fuel to an already volatile discourse by questioning whether long-held visions of peaceful coexistence may soon become part of political history.