{"id":2956,"date":"2025-09-29T10:12:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T09:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/?p=2956"},"modified":"2025-09-29T10:17:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T09:17:50","slug":"a-world-that-recognises-palestine-but-not-its-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/29\/a-world-that-recognises-palestine-but-not-its-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"A World that Recognises Palestine, But Not its Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2956\" class=\"elementor elementor-2956\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9db2ac1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9db2ac1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-35672df\" data-id=\"35672df\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c09926f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c09926f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 18-06-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:right;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><strong><em>International recognition signals consensus, but unless the world confronts occupation, illegal settlements, and apartheid head-on, Palestinians remain without true sovereignty or justice<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-408421d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"408421d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fc7812d\" data-id=\"fc7812d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1da7401 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1da7401\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>By: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/professor-sami-al-arian\/\"><strong>Prof<\/strong><strong>. Sami A. Al-Arian<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Voices\/ <\/strong><strong>September<\/strong> <strong>2025<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b3d3ce2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b3d3ce2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3318ddc\" data-id=\"3318ddc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2972de9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2972de9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>For more than half a century, the two-state formula\u2014a Zionist regime alongside a sovereign Palestine in the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem\u2014has been the official exit ramp from a grinding conflict.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>It\u2019s not a trendy idea born of the latest crisis; it has been the strategic choice of Arab states since the UN Security Council adopted <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.un.org\/en\/S\/RES\/242(1967)\">Resolution 242<\/a> after the 1967 war. UNSC 242 didn\u2019t spell out \u201ctwo states,\u201d but its core objective \u2014withdrawal from the 1967 occupied territory for peace and mutual <strong><em>International recognition signals consensus, but unless the world confronts occupation, illegal settlements, and apartheid head-on, Palestinians remain without true sovereignty or justice<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>recognition\u2014became the conceptual scaffolding for two states and the region\u2019s diplomacy thereafter.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The Palestinians themselves codified this trajectory long ago. In 1974, the Palestine Liberation Organization\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/content.ecf.org.il\/files\/M00100_10%20Point%20Program%20of%20the%20PLO.pdf\">Ten-Point Program<\/a> opened the door to establishing a Palestinian authority on any liberated territory\u2014an unmistakable pivot towards an incremental statehood strategy.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>In November 1988 at Algiers, the PLO formally <a href=\"https:\/\/fmep.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/PNC-declaration-of-independence.pdf\">declared<\/a> the State of Palestine and accepted UNSC 242\/338 as the basis for a political process. In 1993, the PLO accepted Israel\u2019s \u201cright to exist\u201d and entered the <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.org.il\/issues\/issue\/15\">Oslo framework<\/a> that presupposed a two-state endgame, even though the Zionist regime never explicitly committed to it. These weren\u2019t rhetorical positions; they were historical Palestinian concessions unmatched by the Israeli side.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-de73b71 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"de73b71\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9969c1f\" data-id=\"9969c1f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b6caca elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5b6caca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 18-06-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture2-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2959\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture2-2.png 903w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture2-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture2-2-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3122af1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3122af1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-81cdae6\" data-id=\"81cdae6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9279ab1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9279ab1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>The handshake that symbolised hope: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House during the 1993 Oslo Accords (AP).<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-01283e6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"01283e6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4b31696\" data-id=\"4b31696\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cae9780 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cae9780\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Arab governments followed suit in their own frameworks. Crown Prince Fahd\u2019s eight-point <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-209344\/\">proposal<\/a> (adopted at Fez in 1982) explicitly called for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Two decades later, the 2002 Arab Peace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kas.de\/c\/document_library\/get_file?groupId=268421&amp;uuid=a5dab26d-a2fe-dc66-8910-a13730828279&amp;\">Initiative<\/a>\u2014the Arab League\u2019s unanimously endorsed \u201cstrategic option\u201d\u2014offered full normalisation with Israel in exchange for withdrawal to the 1967 lines and a negotiated refugee solution per UNGA 194.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>These were comprehensive, region-wide proposals anchored in two states, despite the historical injustice done to the Palestinians.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Cascading recognition, but still no state:<\/strong><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The wider international system has been in the same place for years. The UN Security Council formally <a href=\"https:\/\/press.un.org\/en\/2003\/sc7924.doc.htm\">endorsed<\/a> the Quartet \u201cRoadmap\u201d to a permanent two-state solution in <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.un.org\/en\/S\/RES\/1515(2003)\">Resolution 1515<\/a> in 2003.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>And in recent months, a cascade of recognitions has lifted the number of UN member states recognising Palestine to about 156\u2014more than four out of five countries in the world\u2014reflecting an unmistakable global consensus on Palestinian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/les-decodeurs\/article\/2025\/09\/23\/map-the-countries-that-recognize-a-palestinian-state_6745654_8.html\">statehood<\/a> within the two-state frame.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>If the region, the PLO, and most of the world lined up behind two states, why don\u2019t we have it?<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Because policy and facts on the ground moved in the opposite direction.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Since the Oslo signing in 1993, the Zionist regime\u2019s illegal settlement enterprise has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/documents\/Report%20on%20Israeli%20Settlements%20in%20the%20occupied%20West%20Bank%20including%20East%20Jerusalem%20%28Reporting%20period%20January%20-%20December%202024%29.pdf\">expanded<\/a> relentlessly. In 1993, there were roughly 110\u2013125 thousand illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem); today, counting East Jerusalem, the total <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/hrbodies\/hrcouncil\/sessions-regular\/session58\/a-hrc-58-73-infographic-march2025.pdf\">number<\/a> is over 750,000 and rising\u2014numbers every serious monitor says make territorial contiguity nearly impossible. That is not an accident; it is a policy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-18c49b8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"18c49b8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dc51628\" data-id=\"dc51628\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a184fca elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a184fca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture3-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2960\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture3-2.png 903w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture3-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture3-2-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9da0d08 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9da0d08\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-07f945e\" data-id=\"07f945e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f201c95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f201c95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>President Erdogan displays maps charting the loss of Palestinian land during a 2020 speech in Ankara. Illegal Israeli settlements have grown since, deepening the obstacles to Palestinian statehood (AP)<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-adf4885 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"adf4885\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7b53c04\" data-id=\"7b53c04\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-381e0ad elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"381e0ad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Successive Israeli governments have said the quiet part out loud.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>In 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/netanyahu-says-no-palestinian-state-as-long-as-hes-prime-minister-idUSKBN0MC1I7\/\">stated<\/a> on election eve: \u201cIf I\u2019m elected, there will be no Palestinian state.\u201d In a leaked 2001 video, he <a href=\"https:\/\/imeu.org\/resources\/resources\/benjamin-netanyahu-putting-an-end-to-the-oslo-accords-the-two-state-solution\/114\">bragged<\/a> to settlers: \u201cI de facto put an end to the Oslo Accords,\u201d adding, \u201cI know what America is\u2026 a thing you can move very easily.\u201d<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Furthermore, at the UN on September 22, 2023, Netanyahu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/9\/22\/palestinians-must-not-have-veto-over-arab-israel-deals-netanyahu-tells-un\">held up<\/a> a \u201cNew Middle East\u201d map that erased Palestine entirely while touting an India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor\u2014signaling a future premised on Israeli primacy without Palestinian sovereignty.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>US policy, meanwhile, has too often shielded these dynamics. To his credit, US Secretary of State John Kerry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/12\/full-text-john-kerry-2016-israel-mideast-peace-speech-transcript-233014\">uttered<\/a> the sad, true facts from Washington in December 2016: \u201cIf the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic; it cannot be both,\u201d warning that \u201cthe settler agenda is defining the future of Israel.\u201d<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>That same week, the UN Security Council <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/webcast\/pdfs\/SRES2334-2016.pdf\">passed<\/a> Resolution 2334, reaffirming settlements\u2019 illegality and calling them a \u201cflagrant violation\u201d and a \u201cmajor obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution.\u201d Yet beyond words, Washington repeatedly wielded its veto or abstention power to prevent effective enforcement, and the bulldozers kept rolling.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>What about October 7, 2023, and the catastrophic genocidal war that followed? Cause and effect in politics are rarely linear. Still, one point is clear: choking off political horizons while entrenching domination breeds desperate measures and backlash.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>In 2018, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas\u2019s leader in Gaza, who was killed last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/middle-east\/hamas-gaza-leader-to-israeli-press-i-dont-want-war\/1272547\">said<\/a> plainly: \u201cI don\u2019t want war\u2026 I want an end to the siege.\u201d His plea was ignored.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The idea that Palestinian needs and rights could be indefinitely sidelined\u2014through \u201ceconomic peace,\u201d siege, and containment\u2014was an illusion. It exploded in a sizzling prison break on October 7, 2023.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Palestinians also absorbed a hard lesson: without leverage, nothing moves. The 2011 prisoner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2011\/10\/18\/the-politics-behind-the-prisoner-swap?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">exchange<\/a> for Gilad Shalit\u20141,027 Palestinians for one Israeli soldier\u2014imprinted a brutal logic in Palestinian collective memory.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>For years, endless meetings and vain negotiations delivered little on prisoners, sovereignty, end of occupation, or return, yet coercive resistance often times did. It\u2019s not complicated to understand that calculus or recognise why it persists, or even why purely punitive responses don\u2019t erase the structural incentives that shaped it.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Shifting political ground<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Paradoxically, the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza and the horror it unleashed has re-centred the global conversation on the two-state paradigm. Spurred by public opinion and the sheer scale of devastation, a growing list of countries\u2014including in Europe and the West\u2014have recognised Palestine, alongside near-universal calls to end the carnage.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>In response, Tel Aviv has doubled down as Netanyahu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/israeli-pm-rejects-western-recognitions-palestinian-state-2025-09-24\/\">rejects<\/a> these recognitions, calling them meaningless, and sends subtle messages of possible unilateral annexations\u2014while US influence looks increasingly isolated. The political ground is shifting, even if power realities lag behind.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Does this mean two states are around the corner? No. In the near term, the world has two urgent tasks: stop the mass killing and famine in Gaza, and halt land grabs and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-776d920 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"776d920\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7e471ff\" data-id=\"7e471ff\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89c6c9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"89c6c9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2961\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-2.png 903w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-2-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-aea0aab elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"aea0aab\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ea86ba4\" data-id=\"ea86ba4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b46f6df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b46f6df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>The aftermath of an Israeli attack on September 24, 2025, at the Firas Market in Gaza City that killed at least 20 Palestinians, while international leaders debate solutions from afar (AP).<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fd4e9d4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fd4e9d4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cca0d4f\" data-id=\"cca0d4f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d5b491 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7d5b491\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Without those first-order steps, \u201cstatehood talk\u201d is theatre politics. Even then, the path back to a viable two-state outcome would require politically bold moves: a settlement freeze (including in East Jerusalem), clear timelines, enforcement mechanisms, and guaranteed rights regimes during transition\u2014not just \u201cprocess.\u201d Absent that, recognition risks becoming symbolism without substance.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Which leads to the uncomfortable question: Is it already too late for two states? Many argue justifiably that the map has been so fragmented, and that after the Gaza genocide, Zionism is irredeemable. The rise of the ultra-right and messianic movements in the Zionist state makes any talk on salvaging the situation through a political settlement with the current balance of power unrealistic.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The successful example of South Africa is very instructive. Accommodating the ideology of dominance and keeping structures of supremacy are the root of the problem. Dismantling such institutions is the only just, durable solution. That\u2019s a legal and moral baseline: end military rule and racist structures, guarantee equality and political rights, and provide remedies for refugees and their right of return.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>If two states can\u2019t be revived with teeth, the alternative cannot be endless inequality and supremacy. The guiding principle must be rights, not slogans.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Here\u2019s the bottom line. For decades, Arab capitals, the PLO, the UN, and the majority of states have endorsed two states. The primary obstacle has been the systematic creation of facts on the ground designed to preclude it, and the lack of sustained, enforceable international will to reverse those facts.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>If the world wants two states, it will take more than speeches and symbolic gestures; it will take consequences for actions that make two states impossible.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>And if the world cannot or will not muster that will, it owes Israelis and Palestinians an honest alternative that centres justice, freedom, and durable peace not only for those who live between the river and the sea, but also for all Palestinians around the world.<\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>This article was originally published by <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trtworld.com\/article\/cc365d03d36a\"><strong>TRT World<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f50da34 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f50da34\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b39bf3f\" data-id=\"b39bf3f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3593dcb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3593dcb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/professor-sami-al-arian\/\"><strong>Dr. Sami A. Al-Arian<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-42b0711 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"42b0711\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-495f057\" data-id=\"495f057\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-507ab22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"507ab22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"272\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture2-272x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-2777\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture2-272x300.jpg 272w, https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picture2.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 272px) 100vw, 272px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-06b8e6d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"06b8e6d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e989f72\" data-id=\"e989f72\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-891a1f2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"891a1f2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>He is Public Affairs Professor and Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University.<\/p><p>He received his PhD in Computer Engineering in 1986 and was a tenured academic in the US for two decades receiving best teaching awards at the University of South Florida (1993 and 1994) and several grants, as well as having over forty publications to his credit.<\/p><p>During his four decades in the US (1975-2015), Dr. Al-Arian founded numerous institutions and publications in the fields of education, research, religion and interfaith, as well as civil and human rights. He was a prolific speaker across many US campuses, especially on Palestine, Islam and the West, and Civil Rights. In 2001, he was named by Newsweek the \u201cpremiere civil rights activist\u201d in the US for his efforts to repeal the use of Secret Evidence in immigration courts. In 2012, he was profiled by historians in the Encyclopedia of American Dissidents as one of only three Muslims in the US out of 152 dissidents and prisoners of conscience that were included in the series in the past century (along with Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali).\u00a0 His US story was featured in 2007 in the award-winning documentary \u201cUS vs. Al-Arian,\u201d and in 2016 in the book \u201cBeing Palestinian.\u201d<\/p><p>Dr. Al-Arian has written several studies and numerous articles focusing on US foreign policy, Palestine, and the Arab Spring phenomena. His book of poetry on Spirituality, Palestine, and Human Rights Conspiring Against Joseph was published in 2004. He is also the author of The Arab Awakening Unveiled: Understanding Transformations and Revolutions in the Middle East, Washington, DC, American Educational Trust, 2013 (under a pen name) and The United States and Israel: From Enabler to Strategic Partner, IZU Publications, 2019.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>International recognition signals consensus, but unless the world confronts occupation, illegal settlements, and apartheid head-on, Palestinians remain without true sovereignty or justice By: Prof. Sami A. Al-Arian Voices\/ September 2025 For more than half a century, the two-state formula\u2014a Zionist regime alongside a sovereign Palestine in the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem\u2014has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voices"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2956"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2967,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956\/revisions\/2967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cigacriticalvoices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}