Article by Adel Amer, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Israel (Maki), originally published in the Party's newspaper Zo Haderech on 20/7/2025:
Promote the two-state solution and the Jewish-Arab partnership
The brutal war of annihilation raging in Gaza raises many questions about the solution to the problem that is the basis for instability and many conflicts in the Middle East – namely, the Palestinian issue. But in light of the results of the war and the systematic destruction of more than 75% of the territory of the Gaza Strip, the path to resolving the conflict has become more difficult and complex.
This difficulty is expressed mainly in the despair that the war has created regarding the possibility of reaching a peaceful solution – any solution. Israeli society has largely sunk into bestiality and cruelty, and the right-wing government is rushing towards territorial expansion and annexation of the territories it has invaded in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria. As a result, some are trying to find alternative solutions to the Palestinian question and award the Israeli leadership a prize in the form of victory in its criminal war, especially when the proposed solutions deny the Palestinians' basic and legitimate right – the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.
Therefore, all proposals that ignore this natural right – and it does not matter what the intentions behind them are – effectively grant Israel victory in its war on the Palestinian people, and enable the government's intention to expel and transfer the Palestinian people from Gaza to be realized. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz's proposal to establish a "humanitarian city" is part of the same malicious plan against the Palestinians, which is being promoted in partnership with US President Donald Trump.
In order to thwart this plan and all plans similar to it, there is no escape from a firm and clear stance on the principle: there is no solution other than the two-state solution. The two-state solution is the only possible solution, based on international legitimacy, within which the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state will be realized. This solution is based on the partition plan of November 1947, which gave validity to the establishment of the State of Israel. However, the second half of the plan, which stipulated that two states would be established in the land, requires the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, as agreed to by the Palestinian people and their historical leadership.
There are certainly those who see this solution as a fantasy that is not connected to today's reality; but it is precisely this reality that proves time and again that the two-state solution was and still is the only relevant and possible solution, given the Palestinian people's firm attachment to their land. This solution gains new validity in the face of the multitude of unrealistic proposals being floated in the air, which do not guarantee the national rights of the Palestinians.
Some ask: "In light of the war and its devastating consequences, is the two-state solution possible now? Does the situation of the Israelis and the Palestinians allow for this?" It is clear and understandable that the Palestinian interest demands that the two-state solution be implemented, especially in light of the great suffering of the Palestinian people and the excessively heavy price they have been forced to pay on their way to self-determination. But Israel, clouded by the intoxication of power, is in no hurry and can barely even conceive of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue. On the contrary, there are those in Israel who plan to rebuild the settlements in Gaza, as MK Limor Son Har-Malech (Otzma Yehudit) has stated, a prominent figure on the fascist right who has established a lobby in the Knesset whose stated goal is the return of the settlements to Gaza. The first meeting of this lobby will be held in the Knesset this coming Tuesday.
On the other hand, attention should be paid to the growing opposition to the war within Israeli society. This opposition, which began with a few hundred demonstrators who participated in a demonstration organized by Maki and Hadash in Tel Aviv in November 2023, has developed thanks to many efforts into stubborn and consistent resistance. Today, the anti-war movement includes peace forces and various protest movements working together within the framework of the "Peace Partnership" – a Jewish-Arab partnership leading the struggle and equipped with a clear political compass. This leadership is characterized not only by the demand for an end to the war and the completion of a deal to release the hostages and prisoners, but also by clarifying the demand for a solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of two states.
This clear position of Arab-Jewish partnership is the foundation and solid ground on which the campaign for Israeli-Palestinian peace and for national and civil equality for the Arab public is conducted. This partnership is built on a common popular struggle against the war and against all forms of fascist oppression directed against Arab citizens as a national minority. Arab citizens have the right to live in equality in our country, and the right to choose who will represent us in the Knesset and in every other institution.
We recently faced the attempt to oust MK Ayman Odeh from the Knesset. The ouster move was supported by the Jewish population, including large sections of the Zionist opposition. But the members of the "Peace Partnership," who felt the tide of Israeli fascism firsthand, stood courageously against the anti-democratic move. We must draw the necessary conclusions from this campaign and expand the ranks of the "Peace Partnership" - the Arab-Jewish partnership of struggle that will serve as a beacon and alternative to strategies against those who cultivate dependence, engage in flattery, or bow down to growing fascism. Only through such a struggle can we repel fascism, promote peace, and create fertile ground for the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination in their independent state.
Therefore, all proposals that ignore this natural right – and it does not matter what the intentions behind them are – effectively grant Israel victory in its war on the Palestinian people, and enable the government's intention to expel and transfer the Palestinian people from Gaza to be realized. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz's proposal to establish a "humanitarian city" is part of the same malicious plan against the Palestinians, which is being promoted in partnership with US President Donald Trump.
In order to thwart this plan and all plans similar to it, there is no escape from a firm and clear stance on the principle: there is no solution other than the two-state solution. The two-state solution is the only possible solution, based on international legitimacy, within which the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state will be realized. This solution is based on the partition plan of November 1947, which gave validity to the establishment of the State of Israel. However, the second half of the plan, which stipulated that two states would be established in the land, requires the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, as agreed to by the Palestinian people and their historical leadership.
There are certainly those who see this solution as a fantasy that is not connected to today's reality; but it is precisely this reality that proves time and again that the two-state solution was and still is the only relevant and possible solution, given the Palestinian people's firm attachment to their land. This solution gains new validity in the face of the multitude of unrealistic proposals being floated in the air, which do not guarantee the national rights of the Palestinians.
Some ask: "In light of the war and its devastating consequences, is the two-state solution possible now? Does the situation of the Israelis and the Palestinians allow for this?" It is clear and understandable that the Palestinian interest demands that the two-state solution be implemented, especially in light of the great suffering of the Palestinian people and the excessively heavy price they have been forced to pay on their way to self-determination. But Israel, clouded by the intoxication of power, is in no hurry and can barely even conceive of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue. On the contrary, there are those in Israel who plan to rebuild the settlements in Gaza, as MK Limor Son Har-Malech (Otzma Yehudit) has stated, a prominent figure on the fascist right who has established a lobby in the Knesset whose stated goal is the return of the settlements to Gaza. The first meeting of this lobby will be held in the Knesset this coming Tuesday.
On the other hand, attention should be paid to the growing opposition to the war within Israeli society. This opposition, which began with a few hundred demonstrators who participated in a demonstration organized by Maki and Hadash in Tel Aviv in November 2023, has developed thanks to many efforts into stubborn and consistent resistance. Today, the anti-war movement includes peace forces and various protest movements working together within the framework of the "Peace Partnership" – a Jewish-Arab partnership leading the struggle and equipped with a clear political compass. This leadership is characterized not only by the demand for an end to the war and the completion of a deal to release the hostages and prisoners, but also by clarifying the demand for a solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of two states.
This clear position of Arab-Jewish partnership is the foundation and solid ground on which the campaign for Israeli-Palestinian peace and for national and civil equality for the Arab public is conducted. This partnership is built on a common popular struggle against the war and against all forms of fascist oppression directed against Arab citizens as a national minority. Arab citizens have the right to live in equality in our country, and the right to choose who will represent us in the Knesset and in every other institution.
We recently faced the attempt to oust MK Ayman Odeh from the Knesset. The ouster move was supported by the Jewish population, including large sections of the Zionist opposition. But the members of the "Peace Partnership," who felt the tide of Israeli fascism firsthand, stood courageously against the anti-democratic move. We must draw the necessary conclusions from this campaign and expand the ranks of the "Peace Partnership" - the Arab-Jewish partnership of struggle that will serve as a beacon and alternative to strategies against those who cultivate dependence, engage in flattery, or bow down to growing fascism. Only through such a struggle can we repel fascism, promote peace, and create fertile ground for the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination in their independent state.
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