Long before the Gaza war erupted in 2023, a broad consensus had already taken hold across policymakers, activists, and foreign-policy circles: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at a political dead end. The Oslo framework—and the promise of a two-state solution—had steadily lost credibility as a realistic path forward.

 

Since Hamas's October 7 attacks, the devastation in Gaza and the accelerating realities on the ground have made a two-state outcome even harder to imagine. And yet, it remains the default language of Middle East diplomacy. Most recently, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed his determination to oppose Israeli actions undermining the two-state solution and called for renewed momentum toward Palestinian statehood.

 

So is the two-state solution still viable—or has it become a diplomatic reflex disconnected from reality? And if it's no longer achievable, what alternatives exist?

 

In today's episode, we unpack the debate over what comes next—and what a democratic, rights-based future for Israelis and Palestinians could actually look like.