The Perennial 'Two-State Solution' Charade
FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Peace Process' and Settlement Expansion (1993): Despite the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, which ostensibly laid the groundwork for a two-state solution, Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank continued unabated. Between 1993 and 2000, the settler population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip increased by over 50% (B'Tselem, 2017 data on settlement population). Even
as negotiations for a Palestinian state were underway, the physical infrastructure for annexation was being laid. REPETITIONS: Road Maps and Walls (2003-2005): In 2003, the 'Roadmap for Peace' proposed a clear path to a two-state solution. Simultaneously, Israel began construction of the West Bank barrier, which unilaterally annexed significant portions of Palestinian land, effectively creating
new borders. This physical boundary project, affecting approximately 9.4% of the West Bank and isolating agricultural lands (UN OCHA, 2005), directly contradicted the notional borders of a future Palestinian state that the Roadmap purported to create. REPETITIONS: 'Strategic Depth' and Declared Intent (2014 & 2019): Following the 2014 Gaza War, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu frequently
reiterated that Israel would never relinquish security control over the West Bank, often framing it as essential 'strategic depth.' In 2019, prior to an election, Netanyahu explicitly vowed to annex all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stating there would be 'no uprooting of even one settlement' (Times of Israel, 2019). These statements, widely reported, were consistent declarations of intent