Two-state solution an illusion, means nothing for Palestinians, KL forum told

A Palestinian lawyer has described the two-state solution as an illusion, adding that numerous peace treaties promoted by Western powers have only exacerbated the 75-year-old conflict sparked by the creation of the state of Israel on Palestinian territory.

Hanan Sahmoud also said that the two-state solution, which has formed the basis of Muslim governments' Palestine policy for decades, in reality means nothing to the Palestinians.

She said Palestinians have lost hope in the solution which till today remains a mainstay at international forums, just as they feel that peace treaties with Israel have done nothing for their security.

"Even if countries keep advocating for it ( two-state solution), it is not going to help them ( Palestinians) because it's not real. It's hard to achieve," said Sahmoud, speaking at the forum Palestine: The One State Reality and One-State Solution, organised by Universiti Malaya's Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies and the Asia West East Center.

Her remarks come at a time when Muslim governments around the world are increasingly being urged to abandon the two-state solution in the wake of Israel's year-long genocide that killed some 50,000 people and left a trail of devastation in Gaza.

The two-state solution refers to the Oslo Accords of 1993, in which the Israeli regime and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under the leadership of the late Yasser Arafat agreed in principle to the existence of two states, namely an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

At the time, Western leaders hailed the agreement as a milestone in the efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East and received the support of most Muslim countries, which also embraced the two-state solution as a matter of policy in relation to the Palestinian conflict.

Some Muslim governments also see the two-state solution as a middle ground that allows them to maintain good relations with the United States, Israel's most important ally, while maintaining their support for a free Palestine.

Among them is Malaysia, which still officially represents this position in international forums.

Despite the fact that Israel was created from stolen Palestinian land, many consider the two-state solution to be realistic in the hope of at least achieving peace in the Middle East.

Even Hamas, which fiercely opposes the two-state solution as it indirectly recognises Israel's right to exist on confiscated land, appears to have softened its stance in its 2017 charter.

However, in order to achieve this, Israel must fulfil a number of conditions, including on the status of Jerusalem, illegal Jewish settlements and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, all of which the regime has failed to meet.

The ongoing war in Gaza has effectively brought the two-state solution to an end, with Israeli leaders openly opposing any prospect of a free Palestinian state.

Sahmoud said that while countries continue to call for the two-state solution, they must also work to dismantle Israel's apartheid system and continue the campaign of boycotting institutions, taking a leaf from the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa following decades of global boycott.

Prominent Malaysian thinker Chandra Muzaffar said that the priority now is not the shape of a future state, be it a single entity or two coexisting states.

"We have to look beyond the two-state solution. Let's talk about creating a situation where we empower the Palestinian people from the river to the sea.

"Let's have a situation where we don't have apartheid, strengthening and establishing human rights," said Chandra.

He said that the issue of one or two states will be decided by the Muslims, Christians and Jews who are part of the reality in the region.

He said that the younger generation of Jews has become the biggest opponents of the Zionist regime and its policies.

"They have become aware of the situation in Palestine. Young people have dug up history and found out the whole truth. They no longer believe the lies of the media and the elites," he said.