As Israel Expands Gaza Offensive, West Tilts Towards Two-State Solution: What Is It?

Almost a week after the United Nations declared that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and released recommendations for the Israeli government and member states, a slew of Western countries are backing the idea of 'two-state solution' to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The two-state solution is expected to remain in focus at the United Nations General Assembly, and, separately, France and Saudi Arabia are spearheading a one-day summit at the UN to mull over and revive the age-old and long-halted two-state solution for Palestine and Israel.

So, what exactly is the two-state solution?

The two state solution essentially proposes creation of two separate nation states for two different people, that is, the Jewish and the Palestinians. However, the idea is not a creation itself, it is a resurrection of an old one.

In 1947, the United Nations green lit a plan that would partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states with international rule over Jerusalem. On receiving 56% of the land, Jewish leaders accepted the plan but the Arab League turned it down.

Later, in 1993, the US backed Oslo Accords' had the two state solution as the foundation of its peace talks. Since then, the process has succumbed to heavy opposition from various stakeholders.

On Sunday, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal accepted and recognised the existence of a Palestinian state, and France is expected to announce its recognition formally during the UN summit on the question of Palestine, at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Terming the summit as a "circus", Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon announced that both United States and Israel will boycott it. The US government has also warned of possible consequences against those who plan on acting against Israel, including against France, whose President, Emmanuel Macron, is one of the main hosts for the summit.

While five other European countries will be recognising the existence of Palestine on Monday, Germany and Italy have hinted otherwise, as per news agency Reuters. Italy believes that the two-state solution could be counter productive, whereas Germany, which has grown reproving of Israeli policy, still finds itself restrained due to the horrors of holocaust.

Israel Expands Gaza Offensive

Israeli forces expanded their ground offensive in Gaza city on Monday even as world leaders gathered in New York for the UNGA wherein even more countries are expected to recognise a Palestinian state.

The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Jordanian Hospital, a key health clinic, a Palestinian health official was reported as saying on Monday by the Associated Press.

The latest Israeli offensive, which began last Tuesday, pushes the possibility of a ceasefire further away. The Israeli military has threatened to destroy Hamas' military infrastructure within a matter of months.

Israel has also been furthering plans of complete annexation of West Bank, with a goal of extinguishing any window for a prospective future Palestinian state, Al Jazeera reported. This comes as a response to the growing consensus among major countries for a two-state solution to resolve one of the oldest conflicts plaguing the Middle East.

During air raids on the homes in the Sabra neighbourhood of the Gaza city, the Israeli army killed at least 25 members of a Palestinian family on Sunday while advancing with its tanks and claiming that the attacks were aimed at and hitting “terrorist” targets, the AP report added.