At Euronews Sudesh Baniya reports that there is one area in which the majority of Israelis and Palestinians agree—the “two state solution” is unworkable:
Public sentiment among members of the public in both Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas was moving away from the idea of creating a two-state solution for the region, even before Hamas launched terror attacks last weekend.
Public surveys carried out in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank have revealed that only one in three people now see the feasibility of a political resolution to the issue.
People were asked if a way could be found for resolution by forming an independent Palestinian state and whether it could co-exist peacefully with Israel.
According to the Pew Research Center’s survey, a growing number of Israelis are beginning to doubt the feasibility of a two-state solution, with only 35% of respondents believing that a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine can be achieved.
This marks a 15 percentage point decrease from a decade ago, and the lowest figures to date.
The survey being reported was conducted in April; I doubt that Hamas’s attacks of a week ago have increased the support for the two state solution. Even more discouraging:
Among Palestinian civilians, 53% favour an armed struggle to establish an independent state and fight the occupation. That is a 12% rise compared to survey results from the same time in 2022.
The spike is compensated by a decrease in confidence in diplomacy and negotiations, as Palestinians now are 10% less likely to prefer it as a solution according to the same survey.
Unless for some hard to fathom reason opinions moderate, it sounds very much like a fight to the death is the only foreseeable outcome. Each side blames the other for its hardening views.
All terribly discouraging.
