Palestinian statehood

View of graffiti painted by artists of different backgrounds, supporting the Palestinians, seen painted on the separation wall in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, October 21, 2024. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90

Forget symbolic statehood — the world must recognize Israeli apartheid

The push to recognize a Palestinian state creates the illusion of action, but delays the real remedies: sanctioning and isolating Israel's apartheid regime.

By Alaa Salama August 29, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visit at an army base near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, July 4, 2023. (Shir Torem/Flash90)

Netanyahu is prolonging the war to save his life’s mission

While an endless military operation allows the prime minister to cling to power, it also fulfills a larger ideological goal: preventing Palestinian statehood.

By Meron Rapoport November 17, 2023

Palestinians pick olives during harvest season at a farm near the separation wall in the West Bank village of Deir Debwan, October 18, 2019. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

Legacy of South African Bantustans hangs over Trump deal

South Africa's Bantustans were designed to weaken and fragment the black population. Under Trump's plan, Palestine could face a similar fate.

By Robert Swift February 9, 2020

Latest

A Palestinian man rests during a protest in the Gaza Strip near the Israeli border, which the Israeli army has declared a no-go zone for Palestinians, October 30, 2015. (Ezz Zanoun/Activestills.org)

Nobody is coming to end the occupation

The Americans are disengaging from the conflict, the EU won’t go beyond half-measures, and the Palestinian Authority is on the verge of implosion. So what happens next? In meetings between top-ranking Israeli and American officials over the past few weeks, the United States reportedly demanded that Benjamin Netanyahu outline steps he is willing to take…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man November 28, 2015

A Palestinian adjusts his mask during a protest near the Gaza border Strip, near Nahal Oz crossing, October 30, 2015. Since the beginning of October, more than 60 Palestinians have been killed in shootings and clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, while eight Israelis have been killed in knife and gun attacks. (photo: Ezz Zanoun/Activesills.org)

Why Israel’s education minister thinks hope is dangerous

The politicians in Israel’s government want nothing more than for Palestinians to simply give up on statehood. They’re not so clear on what happens next. The man in charge of educating the next generation of Israelis believes that the driving force behind terrorism is hope. Yes. You read that correctly. “Terrorism is not a result of the Palestinians losing…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man November 20, 2015

PA President Abbas holding up the application for UN membership in September 2011 (photo: UN/Marco Castro)

Could these be the final days of the Oslo Accords?

Abbas is rumored to be considering putting an end to Oslo in his UN speech later this month. If he does, will Israel reoccupy Palestinian cities? Will he also dissolve the Palestinian Authority? Or will nothing change — as usual. By Talal Jabari Mark September 27th in your calendars. It could be a big day…

By +972 Magazine September 17, 2015

U.S. President Barack Obama in the Rose Garden. (White House Photo by Pete Souza)

It’s time to recognize the State of Palestine, Mr. President

How Barack Obama can save the two-state solution before he leaves office. By Sam Bahour President Obama promised that as soon as the Iran nuclear deal is closed he will refocus on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Given this shift of focus is now in sight, Obama should grant U.S. recognition of Palestine as an independent state,…

By +972 Magazine September 17, 2015

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Liel (Screenshot: SocialTV)

WATCH: The case for recognizing Palestinian statehood in Europe

Former director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Alon Liel, discusses the growing number of European countries recognizing the State of Palestine, and a petition by thousands of Israelis calling on more states to do the same. Watch the full interview here.

By Social TV March 31, 2015

The representative of Palestine speaks to the UN Security Council. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

How ICC membership could revive Palestinian statehood at the UN

Could a shift in U.S.-Israeli relations lay the groundwork for bolder legal and diplomatic moves in the international arena against Israel and the occupation? By Lolita Brayman Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election success is being portrayed by some as a victory for the international aspects of the Palestinian cause. For months, Palestinians have been trying…

By +972 Magazine March 25, 2015

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Bar-Ilan University. (Photo Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Netanyahu: Two-state solution is off the table, kinda

The Israeli prime minister moves closer than ever to officially declaring an end to the two-state solution. He doesn’t say it explicitly, but there are only so many eulogies a political paradigm can sustain before it expires. Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced that his commitment to a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside Israel was…

By Dimi Reider March 8, 2015

File photo of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, cropped (By Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk)

The road to Palestinian statehood runs through Gaza

Irrespective of who wins in Israel’s elections, Palestine will have to deal with the marginalization of its quest for statehood. That process must start by reintegrating Gaza into the Palestinian fold. By Salam Fayyad For Palestinians the quest for statehood begins with Gaza. But wait, is there still active regional or international interest in the cause…

By +972 Magazine March 5, 2015

The United Nations Security Council, December 30, 2014. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

WATCH: How a new UNSC resolution could be a game-changer

Following a number of European parliaments’ recognition of Palestinian statehood, a number of public figures in Israel have launched a petition addressed to the UN Security Council, calling on it to set a date for ending the occupation. Former Israeli Ambassador Alon Liel explains why such a UN resolution could be a game-changer. Read the…

By Social TV February 12, 2015

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to the press alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, October 13, 2014. (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

World’s delayed reaction to Gaza war kicks in

A week of encouraging signs augurs revival of anti-occupation cause. My view of the chances that the occupation will end someday fluctuates between pessimistic and despairing. Since the war in Gaza, I’ve felt the cause was effectively lost; I figured that if the monstrous devastation that Israel visited on the Strip and its people did not…

By Larry Derfner October 14, 2014