The West’s Lack of Seriousness About the Two-State Solution

For over three decades, the international community has paid lip service to the idea of a two-state solution as the path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Yet, since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993—which were supposed to pave the way for Palestinian statehood—the West, particularly the United States and its allies, has failed to take meaningful steps toward realizing this goal. Instead, Israel has continued expanding settlements in the occupied territories, undermining any possibility of a viable Palestinian state. The recent announcements by France and the UK to recognize Palestine—met with immediate condemnation by Israel and the U.S.—only highlight how political, rather than principled, the West’s stance has been. If the international community had enforced the Oslo framework and recognized Palestine years ago, the cycle of violence, including the October 7 attack and the current war in Gaza, might have been avoided.

Three Decades of Empty Promises

The Oslo Accords were meant to be the foundation for Palestinian self-governance, with a five-year interim period leading to final-status negotiations on borders, Jerusalem, refugees, and security. Yet, thirty years later, Israel has not withdrawn from the occupied territories, and illegal settlements have only expanded. The West, while rhetorically supporting a two-state solution, has done little to pressure Israel into compliance. Instead, the U.S. and European powers have shielded Israel from accountability, vetoing or blocking UN resolutions condemning settlement expansions and military actions in Palestinian territories.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened Israel’s far-right government, which has openly rejected Palestinian statehood. Just yesterday, Israel announced plans to fully reoccupy Gaza and accelerate annexation in the West Bank—actions that directly contradict the two-state solution. If the West were serious about peace, it would have taken concrete measures long ago, such as recognizing Palestine, halting military aid to Israel until it complies with international law, or imposing sanctions for settlement expansions. Instead, the U.S. and its allies have allowed Israel to dictate terms, ensuring that Palestinian statehood remains out of reach.

Missed Opportunities, Manufactured Conflicts

Israel has had countless opportunities to accept a Palestinian state, which would have provided it with a clearer moral and legal high ground. Once Palestine was recognized, any future attacks from Palestinian territories would be seen as aggression from one state against another, legitimizing Israel’s right to self-defense under international law. Yet Israel has consistently chosen expansionism over coexistence. Just this week, the Israeli government has signaled plans not only to reoccupy Gaza fully but also to assert control over the West Bank—making clear that the goal is not peace, but dominance.

The Abraham Accords, which normalized ties between Israel and certain Arab states, were framed as a diplomatic success. But in reality, they were a workaround—a means to ignore the core issue of Palestinian statehood. Without addressing the root cause, no agreement can bring lasting peace. Recognition of Palestine, not its erasure, is the only path to stability.

If the West genuinely seeks peace in the Middle East, it must move beyond rhetoric. Recognition of the Palestinian state must happen now, and it must be followed by concrete measures to ensure that state’s sovereignty. That includes sanctions against Israel should it unilaterally attack or reoccupy Palestinian territory without provocation. Anything less enables the status quo of violence, displacement, and injustice.

The continued delay in recognition only emboldens the Israeli government to seize more land and entrench a system of apartheid. Western inaction is not neutrality—it is complicity. A principled stance would align with the international consensus and uphold the same values of self-determination and human rights that the West claims to champion.

Global Recognition vs. Western Obstruction

More than 140 out of 193 UN member states already recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. The fact that most of the holdouts are Western nations—primarily the U.S., Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe—demonstrates that their position is driven by geopolitical allegiance to Israel rather than a genuine commitment to peace. When France recently announced its intention to recognize Palestine, only the U.S. and Israel objected. Similarly, when the UK indicated it would recognize Palestine in September, Israel immediately lashed out. These reactions prove that Israel’s government has no intention of allowing Palestinian statehood, and the West’s reluctance to act independently only enables this obstruction.

Had Palestine been recognized as a state under the Oslo framework at any point in the past 30 years, the current crisis could have been averted. A sovereign Palestine would have had diplomatic and legal means to address grievances, reducing the need for armed resistance. There would have been no need for the Abraham Accords—which bypassed Palestinian rights in favor of Arab-Israeli normalization—and no Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza. The West’s failure to act has perpetuated the conflict, not resolved it.

The Path to Peace: Recognition and Accountability

If the West truly wants peace, it must take immediate action:

• Recognize Palestine – The UK and France’s steps are positive, but all Western nations must follow. Recognition would force Israel to negotiate in good faith rather than indefinitely delaying statehood.
• Impose Consequences on Israel – If Israel continues annexation or attacks Palestinian territories without provocation, the West must impose sanctions, halt arms sales, and support ICC investigations.
• Enforce International Law – The U.S. must stop vetoing UN Security Council resolutions that hold Israel accountable for violations.

The longer the West delays, the more land Israel takes, and the more violence escalates. The two-state solution is not dead because Palestinians or the international community abandoned it—it is dying because Israel and its Western backers have systematically undermined it. If the West does not act now, the alternative is endless war. The choice is clear: recognize Palestine or bear responsibility for the bloodshed that follows.

If the West fails to act now, the two-state solution will soon become obsolete, leaving only two grim alternatives: perpetual apartheid or a catastrophic, single-state conflict. Israel’s relentless settlement expansion, its stated intent to annex the West Bank, and its ongoing destruction of Gaza demonstrate that it has no interest in allowing Palestinian sovereignty. Meanwhile, the West’s inaction—masked by empty diplomatic statements—has only emboldened Israel’s extremist government to accelerate its colonization of Palestinian land. The consequences of this failure are already unfolding: the October 7 attack, the brutal war on Gaza, and the rising tensions across the region prove that oppression breeds resistance, and resistance begets further violence. Without urgent Western intervention to enforce a political solution, the cycle will only grow bloodier. The next uprising will be more violent, the next Israeli retaliation more devastating, and the next generation more radicalized. The window for a two-state solution is closing rapidly; if the West continues to prioritize Israeli impunity over justice and peace, it will bear responsibility for the explosion of violence that follows.