ARGUING YES
Counselor and Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
ARGUING YES
Palestinian Peace Activist and Scholar; Founding Director of the Wasatia Academic Institute
ARGUING NO
Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
ARGUING NO
Former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem; Israel’s Special Envoy for
Trade & Innovation
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- New episode: Would the two-state solution, or another option, end the Israel-Palestine conflict?
- A closer look at Americans’ views on peace in the Middle East
- Your Sunday reading list
In partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, we bring new ideas to pressing foreign policy discussions. We brought Palestinian, Israeli, and American leaders, ambassadors, and activists together on stage in New York City to discuss the viability of the two-state solution post-October 7th. If implemented, a separate Palestinian state would be established, alongside Israel, and provide a concrete step in the direction of ending one of today’s most challenging conflicts.
While it’s a proposal that has been in discussion for decades and part of peace processes such as the Oslo Accords, the events surrounding October 7th have led policymakers and thought leaders to reconsider what establishing separate Palestinian and Israeli states would mean for the Middle East.
Does the current conflict create a new opportunity for the two-state solution or nearly guarantee that it will never happen?
Our debaters, even with the topic’s complexity, brought passion, respect, and a willingness to hear each other’s side of the conversation. Arguing that yes, the two-state solution is viable, is Ambassador Dennis Ross, who had been a trusted advisor to President Clinton during the Oslo Accords and is a Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, alongside Palestinian activist and scholar Mohammed Dajani Daoudi. Arguing that it isn’t viable is Israel’s Special Envoy for Trade and Innovation and Jerusalem’s former Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, and Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Middle East expert Elliott Abrams.
Though both sides engaged in rigorous debate about a sensitive topic, everyone emerged as respected adversaries at the conclusion of this discussion.
Could the two-state solution work to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all? What would it take to make it successful? Listen to this thought-provoking debate now on your favorite podcast platform , WNYC, and our website. As always, let us know what you think.
Rigorous Arguments + Respected Colleagues Post-Debate = Hope for Peace
DEBATING THE DATA
Do Israelis and Palestinians Feel the Same Way?
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Is the Two-State Solution Still Viable?
YES: Ambassador Dennis Ross
“You can criticize two states as an outcome, but you still have to deal with the fact there are two separate national identities, and the likelihood of them coexisting in one state is close to nil. Look at the region. Look around the region. There is not one place where you have a state where there is a national, sectarian, or tribal identity that is at peace… One state is a prescription for a forever conflict.”
NO: Elliott Abrams
“I wish I could believe that the two-state solution was a solution. But it’s not. For one thing, neither Israelis nor Palestinians believe in it. On neither side is there majority support… Because the main goal of Palestinian nationalism has never been to build a Palestinian state. It has been about destroying the Jewish state… This is a formula for more war.”
YES: Mohammed Dajani Daoudi
“We need to plant seeds of peace so that our children will live in peace. Unfortunately, we inherited this war, this conflict, this hostility, and this enmity from our grandparents. This is not the heritage we want to leave to our grandchildren… Peace is elusive because we are stuck in the past and the present, as we have heard. We need to move on to the future. The two-state solution is the future.”
NO: Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
“Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This is the problem with the two-state solution… We are a startup nation. We can be the startup nation and think innovation when it comes to peace. Let’s not box ourselves in something which so far has not worked. Let’s give every autonomy we can to the Palestinian people without any of the tools to destroy the state of Israel.”
WEEKLY POINTS OF VIEW
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Dambisa Moyo | July 25, 2024
Project Syndicate
Watch Dambisa’s debate on America’s economic outlook
Why Kamala Harris should pick Tim Walz as her running mate
Mehdi Hasan | July 29, 2024
The Guardian
Watch Mehdi’s conversation on what it takes to “win” an argument
Electrification Without the Infrastructure
Jonathan Lesser | July 24, 2024
RealClearEnergy
Watch Jonathan’s debate on whether your electric vehicle helps the planet
This Supreme Court has redefined the meaning of corruption
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy | July 31, 2024
The Conversation
Watch Ciara’s debate on whether Citizens United has undermined democracy
Start With Arguments, End With Solutions
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