Normalization: The Greatest Threat to the Palestinians Since the Nakba - A New Two-Page Resource Document

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In September 2025, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a declaration asserting that only a two-state solution is able lead to “an independent, sovereign, economically viable and democratic State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security with Israel based on the 1967 lines.” (Needless to say, the US and Israel boycotted the session.)

Now we all know that the two-state solution has never been a genuine option. Judaizing all of Palestine has always been Zionism’s purpose, and Israel would never relinquish Judea, Samaria & East Jerusalem to “Arabs.” Indeed, it has settled 800,000 Jews there in massive settlement/cities. And the international community, for all its bluster about a “two-state solution,” has never halted Israel’s settlement or its ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population.

But if governments insist on a two-state solution, whether stand-alone or as part of the Abraham Accords, let’s call their bluff. Want a genuinely sovereign, viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state? OK, here are the minimal requirements:

Control of the Palestinian state over its internationally recognized borders, a fundamental criterion of sovereignty - Its economic viability depends on having borders with Israel, Jordan and Egypt, plus an airport and seaport in Gaza, giving it access to Arab, Israeli and global markets; Territorial - To render the West Bank a coherent territory, all Israel’s settlements would have to be removed, situated as they are to exert control over Palestinian movement and limit their accessibility to their land. Plus an extraterritorial passage for people and goods between the West Bank and Gaza; Control over all the resources within its national territory – water, land, minerals and natural gas – alongside its sacred sites and tourist attractions. An economy free of outside (i.e., Israeli) interference; Sovereignty over East Jerusalem - the most significant symbol of Palestinian national and religious life, a major part of its economy and an integral part of the Occupied Territory; The ability to defend its sovereignty and territory - at least a force symbolizing national sovereignty with policing capabilities. Also full membership in the UN and international protections; The capacity to reintegrate refugees and their descendants.

The Abraham Accords, Trump’s plan of normalization now on the cusp of completion, nullifies any genuine Palestinian state. Instead, it incorporates Israel’s territorial and “security” demands, offering only two-state apartheid. Here, in Trump’s own map of a two-state solution under the Abraham Accords, is how a Palestinian “state” would look. It would have:

No Territorial Contiguity.  The Palestinian entity would consist of a series of disconnected enclaves on 15% of historic Palestine, surrounded and isolated by Israeli settlements. Israel retains its major settlement blocs as well as East Jerusalem, thus controlling internal Palestinian movement. No Sovereignty. The Israeli military retains control of all the borders, the airspace, the communications sphere and internal movement between the enclaves of the Palestinian mini-state. And the Palestinians would be prohibited from entering into foreign alliances, military treaties or join any international organizations without Israel’s consent. No Economic Viability. Israeli controls all Palestine’s natural resources, from water and minerals to major tourist sites such as Jerusalem’s Old City or the Dead Sea to the natural gas reserves off the coast of Gaza. No Return of the Refugees. The Palestinian mini-state would be incapable of reintegrating the refugees, up to seven million in number, fully half the Palestinian people, who would be doomed to permanent exile. Surrender to Zionist The Palestinians must not only recognize the State of Israel but recognize it as a legitimate “Jewish state” – i.e., relinquish all claim to Palestine as a national homeland and accept that it belongs to the Jews. They must also abrogate their right to appeal to the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and all other international tribunals, thus surrendering their fundamental human, national and civil rights.

There is no two-state solution, only two-state apartheid. Palestine/Israel must be decolonized, paving the way to the only just and workable resolution:

A TRANSITION TO ONE DEMOCRATIC STATE OVER HISTORIC PALESTINE

A Constitutional Democracy. One country, one citizenship, one parliament, one legal system, equal citizenship under the law. The state belongs to all its citizens. No discrimination on the basis of national or social origin, religion, race, gender or political Freedom of movement and residency throughout all the country. Return of the Refugees & the Internally Displaced to their lands and properties, with personal compensation and collective reparations; reintegration into society. Collective Rights. Constitutional guarantees protecting national, ethnic and religious communities and their right to their identities, cultures, institutions and associations. Fostering a New, Shared Civil Society and Identity. STOP THE NORMALIZATION OF APARTHEID!  STOP THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS! ONWARD TO ONE DEMOCRATIC STATE!