In April 2000, there was this whole drama about Yasser Arafat wanting to declare a Palestinian state all by himself, but then everyone else was like “Hold up, let’s talk about this first.” And now, the US and the UK are apparently thinking about giving the Palestinian Authority (PA) the state nod without asking Israel for permission. I mean, lots of countries already recognize the PA, but according to the Oslo Accords, it’s not officially a state and it’s missing some key state-like features. So, for the Palestinians to really be a state, Israel and the US have to be like “Yep, you’re a state.” If President Biden goes ahead and gives the PA the state thumbs-up, it could totally shake things up in the Middle East and the whole Israeli-Palestinian situation. But hey, a lot of stuff needs to fall into place for that to work out. It’s like a really intense game of political Jenga.

Territory

The situation with whether the US should give a thumbs-up to the Palestinian state, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, is like trying to referee a game of tug-of-war between two competitive siblings. There’s this concern that if the recognition is limited to certain areas, it’s like offering only half a cookie to someone – the Palestinians might not take it with a smile. On the flip side, Israel is standing there shaking its head at the thought of recognizing the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The proposed solution? Well, it’s like suggesting that everyone sit down for a family meeting to decide who gets the bigger slice of cake. Let’s follow UNSCR 242’s lead and take a step back to 1967. It’s like hitting the rewind button to figure out who had the remote control first. This approach aims to put a big question mark over the map without putting a pause on the whole diplomatic discussion. Let’s see if these negotiators can pull off a magic trick and make the borders disappear like a rabbit in a hat!

Powers

The Oslo Process and subsequent chit-chats between Israel and Palestine were like a complicated relationship status on social media – it was all about creating Palestine after striking a deal with Israel to dodge all the legal drama. If Palestine becomes a state, it’ll be like getting a verified badge on social media – all official and ready to represent its people worldwide and have some serious talks with Israel. Of course, they’ll still need to bargain for some powers with Israel, just like negotiating who gets the last slice of pizza.

Two nation-states for two peoples

To improve the whole Israel-Palestine situation, we’ve gotta give Palestine its moment to shine as a state. Let’s call them “nation-states” and let the Palestinian folks rock their own future. It’s like taking a page from the Clinton Ideas playbook while also giving a nod to Israeli concerns. Oh, and let’s make it super clear that Palestine is all about representing its peeps on the ground, not the PLO or those Palestinians living abroad. And hey, these chill principles should totally make it into Palestine’s rulebook, you know what I mean?

Palestinian refugees

The absolutely groundbreaking idea of recognizing Palestine as the nation-state for all Palestinians is like the ultimate game of musical chairs. Once the Palestinian state is up and running, it’s “adios” to the Palestinian refugees – they’ll be as gone as yesterday’s leftovers. UNRWA can pack up its tents and head home too – no more need for their services. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank could even put on its superhero cape and take over UNRWA’s duties, especially in the West Bank. It’s like a massive organizational reshuffle – out with the old, in with the new!

The case for unilateralism

Since way back in 1993, those Israeli negotiators have been holding onto the idea of recognizing Palestinian statehood like it’s the last piece of chocolate in the box – a precious commodity to be exchanged only for some serious Palestinian concessions. It’s like they used to see negotiations and going solo as two separate paths, with negotiations being the main road and going solo as the hidden shortcut. But hey, turns out successful negotiations need everyone to show up at the same time, and let’s face it, that’s been about as easy as herding cats. Maybe a huge diplomatic shindig led by the good ol’ US of A and backed up by all sorts of global and regional bigwigs is the one and only way to actually move things forward, especially if it means some real perks for both Israel and the Palestinians.

Nascent state

Since the futuristic era of 2000, Israeli leaders and American presidents have been all like, “Hey, let’s turn the Palestinian Authority (PA) into a legit state!” Even though the PA doesn’t tick all the boxes of statehood, everyone’s just nodding like, “Eh, it’s a work in progress.” By stamping the PA with the “beginning state” label, the US and Britain are basically saying, “We got your back – just gotta level up through some serious reforms.” It’s crucial for the Palestinians to high-five the idea of two separate states for two different peoples as a requirement for getting in on the governance action. It’s like learning from history’s bloopers and avoiding a sitcom rerun.

Nine Decades in the Making

Eighty-eight years ago, back in 1936 (a time before smartphones and avocado toast), the Peel Commission swooped in with its grand plan – the two-state solution – to tackle the pesky Arab Revolt. Fast forward seventy-seven years, and the United Nations jumps on board, endorsing this solution to prevent a showdown between Israel and the Arab nations. Ah, the power of diplomacy!

So, everyone thought there’d be a Palestinian state as part of this whole shebang involving Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the Abraham Accords. There’ve been more attempts at this two-state hustle than failed Tinder dates, with Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans navigating the messy world of politics. And then, boom, recent shenanigans in Gaza bring the whole Palestinian statehood question back into the spotlight.

Some folks reckon that boosting the Palestinian Authority to statehood could be the game-changer in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Imagine that – two states, living together in harmony like a dysfunctional sitcom family. Ah, the things politics throws at us!