Gaza ceasefire labelled no help for two-state solution
Despite Israel and Hamas signing the first phase of a 20-point peace plan, a global push to give the Palestinians their own nation looks no closer to fruition, a leading expert warns.
The warring parties’ agreement to lay down their weapons was a turning point in the conflict, which flared up after Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to local officials, tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s ongoing attacks since then.
Some world leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have expressed hope that the ceasefire could lead to a two-state solution, which would mean Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in their own countries.
But Anas Iqtait, a senior lecturer at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, said the Israeli government had made clear it did not support a two-state solution.
“The two-state solution is dead,” he told AAP.
“The facts on the ground do not support this. Neither does the Israeli bureaucracy.”
Under the US-brokered deal, Hamas will release Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza and Israel will potentially release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including leaders of some Palestinian political parties.
US President Donald Trump said Israeli forces will withdraw from most of Gaza to the agreed point.
Dr Iqtait said the initial elements of the agreement were likely to be met but any progress beyond that would be uncertain.
“Will we see a permanent end to the war? Will we see Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip? Will we see the long-held humanitarian blockade lifted?” he asked.
“These are questions that need to be answered.”
Despite long-term uncertainty over the future of the Middle East, both the prime minister and the opposition leader have cautiously backed Mr Trump’s peace plan, saying it provides a path out of the conflict.
Anthony Albanese said the deal gave the world “real reason for hope”.
“The last two years were full of dark days,” he told parliament on Thursday.
“Today we see a ray of light.”
Sussan Ley hailed the agreement as “the beginning of the end of this war and the beginning of lasting peace”.
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