Over time, the United States has had a monopoly on this issue. Given its historic involvement in the process, today, no other party can play this role but the US administration, because the responsibility of the third party in achieving the goal of peace is no less valuable than the responsibility of both sides of the conflict.
As such, it should be known that the US administration is required to work towards ending the conflict, dealing with and eliminating all challenges and obstacles, and assisting both Israel and Palestine towards a vision that ultimately and genuinely ends violence, conflict and territory claims.
The global momentum created by the ongoing war in Gaza should constitute a catalyst for President Joe Biden and his administration to present fresh guidelines for ending the conflict.
To overcome time limitations, notably as the US approaches an election in 2024, and to avoid further loss of life, the Biden administration must start working with both sides on preliminary steps imminently, while also preparing its peace plan for the region.
Now is the time for a solution. Both Palestine and Israel must be willing and well-prepared to meet in the middle when it comes to all issues – including settlements and Jerusalem – make hard compromises, but to also consider new solutions in order to overcome the obstacles of the past.
It will not be an easy process. What we couldn’t achieve over the past 30 years might not be easily attainable today, not least because of the atrocities committed on October 7 and the war Israel has waged on Palestinians in Gaza in the months since.
Yet however difficult reaching an agreement may be, the prevailing conditions which emerged following October 7 constitute a growing drive for all parties to find a solution and reach an agreement that protects Israeli and Palestinian lives. It has become crystal clear that this conflict can’t be contained forever.
The desire to return to negotiations should emerge first from the two sides of the conflict. Spoilers on both sides should be neutralised in advance to limit their capability to sabotage any peace efforts. Above all, though, both sides should negotiate with the intention of achieving the ultimate goal: an end to Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel.
Though tensions are at an all-time high, the “two-state” remains the only formula which can be named as a solution compared to all other suggestions currently on the table.
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After 56 years of the Israeli military occupation of the territories, Palestinians are unwilling to go for any proposals that do not assure them national independence and sovereignty over their own land, while Jews also want to live in a state of their own. No other proposal outside the two-state solution meets the requirements of both parties.
Nidal Foqaha is CEO of the Palestinian Peace Coalition and the Geneva Initiative, a non-profit organisation working to promote a peaceful settlement based on a two-state solution.
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