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News Analysis
Even before the war in Gaza, negotiations failed to produce peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Sept. 22, 2025, 3:51 p.m. ET
France, Britain and the other countries recognizing a Palestinian state this week say they aim to salvage whatever hope remains for the internationally backed formula to end the half-century-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians: a Jewish state of Israel at peace with a neighboring Palestinian one.
But nearly two years into the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, Israelis and Palestinians alike say the possibility of a two-state solution seems more remote than ever.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has devastated the enclave. Israeli settlements have become ever more entrenched in the West Bank. In opinion polls, Hamas still commands greater support among Palestinians than the more moderate Palestinian leadership in the West Bank.
Many Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now dismiss the possibility of ever allowing Palestinian independence. In the absence of any other solution, that would leave Israel ruling over millions of Palestinians indefinitely.
“There will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan River,” Mr. Netanyahu said on Sunday. “For years, I have prevented the establishment of this terrorist state facing tremendous pressures at home and abroad.”
Partitioning the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has long been a proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The idea has formed the basis of multiple rounds of Israeli-Arab peace talks and United Nations resolutions.
