‘Time is running out’ for Israel-Palestine two-State solution

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that illegal Israeli settlement expansion and annexation are eroding the conditions for a viable Palestinian State, describing actions in Gaza and the West Bank as systematic erosion of Palestinian sovereignty. He emphasized that while support for the two-State solution has grown on paper, ground realities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are undermining progress, including settler attacks and destruction in Gaza.

Guterres highlighted that Israeli settlement plans in the E1 area of the West Bank, if implemented, would sever territorial contiguity for a Palestinian State, while settler violence and land seizures continue to displace Palestinian families and raise concerns of ethnic cleansing. He reiterated that illegal settlements violate international law, citing findings from the International Court of Justice and Security Council resolution 2334.

The UN chief stressed that promises of a better future for Palestinians remain hollow without tangible improvements, noting that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people still live in tent shelters amid ruined infrastructure. He called for full implementation of the Trump Peace Plan, emphasizing the need for Gaza and the West Bank to remain politically and territorially unified under a single Palestinian Government.

Guterres concluded that the only credible path to lasting peace is a two-State solution based on pre-1967 borders, international law, and Security Council resolutions, warning that without decisive action, the prospect of a contiguous and viable Palestinian State will disappear entirely.