To Our Readers

First‑time foreign visitors to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or those who have not been to the area for many years, are shocked by the large scale of settlements and related occupation infrastructure that have transformed the landscape. It is obvious to these observers that the more than 200 settlements housing close to half a million Israelis, the hundreds of miles of settlement roads, the 500 or so checkpoints, and the massive separation barrier and watch towers, are not temporary, but rather part of a sweeping and determined plan for permanent Israeli occupation and control. It is not surprising that in the face of this glaring reality, many Palestinians and a growing number of foreign observers now believe that Israel has created an irreversible de facto single state.

The Foundation for Middle East Peace has always advocated a division of historic Palestine into two states as the only means of rescuing Israelis and Palestinians from permanent, mutually destructive conflict. In our view, there is no one state “solution” that could meet the basic needs of both peoples and resolve the violence and injustice inherent in the status quo.

But if the United States is serious about helping Israelis and Palestinians rescue the dream of a genuine two state peace, it will need to replace its current weak and evasive approach to settlements and Jerusalem, make clear that peace means ending Israel’s occupation and settlement venture, and provide urgent and resolute diplomatic leadership and mediation. The wheel need not be reinvented. The details can draw upon the Clinton, Taba, and Geneva plans, which offer ways to address borders, settlement withdrawal, and land swaps, a shared Jerusalem, and other final status issues. Without such an effort, the prospects for peace and two states will become even more distant than at present.