The global stage is once again turning its attention to the long and bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as France and Saudi Arabia advance a new plan for peace at the United Nations General Assembly. This initiative comes amid the catastrophic war in Gaza, where civilian suffering has reached intolerable proportions and displacement has turned an already dire situation into a humanitarian calamity. By linking the urgency of an immediate ceasefire to a broader vision of Palestinian statehood, the French-Saudi effort seeks to reignite a conversation the world has largely abandoned: that a viable two-state solution remains the only durable path to peace. With Britain, Canada, and Australia now joining nearly 150 countries in recognising a Palestinian state, momentum is building for a global consensus that could fundamentally alter the diplomatic calculus. The phased plan—ending the war, withdrawing Israeli troops, restoring governance to a demilitarised Palestinian Authority backed by international support, and ultimately pursuing normalisation between Israel and its Arab neighbours—offers a framework that moves beyond rhetoric to concrete steps. It is designed to reconcile the immediate humanitarian imperative with the long-term political settlement that has eluded generations. Yet as promising as this shift appears, the initiative runs directly into the brick wall of entrenched opposition from Israel and the United States, which continue to prioritise short-term military calculations and domestic politics over the need for a durable solution.
The Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu and supported by his far-right coalition, views the recognition of Palestinian statehood not as a diplomatic gesture but as a threat to sovereignty. Even before the current war, Israel had expanded settlements across the West Bank and tightened control over Jerusalem in ways that made the contours of a Palestinian state increasingly implausible. Now, in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack and the devastating military response that followed, Israel’s leaders see every discussion of Palestinian independence as a reward for militancy and an invitation to future attacks. The United States, despite its public commitment to regional stability, has mirrored this stance by blocking Palestinian participation in the General Assembly and quietly aligning with Israel’s rejection of unilateral recognition. This dual opposition undermines the very international consensus that France and Saudi Arabia hope to build, leaving the plan vulnerable to collapse before it can take root. Meanwhile, the Palestinians remain trapped between a discredited Palestinian Authority that lacks legitimacy at home and an embattled Hamas that refuses to relinquish arms, perpetuating internal divisions at the very moment external recognition gathers pace. Without structural reforms, elections, and credible leadership, even a demilitarised state backed by international aid risks becoming a fragile construct unable to command popular trust or provide stability.
The broader danger is that without progress on two-state parameters, the region slips further into a one-state reality defined by permanent occupation, unequal rights, and endless cycles of violence. Already, the occupation of the West Bank has created an environment where over half a million settlers live alongside three million Palestinians under military control, a status quo widely denounced by rights groups as unsustainable and discriminatory. In Gaza, the devastation wrought by months of bombardment has rendered entire neighbourhoods uninhabitable, pushing the population into famine-like conditions and eroding any possibility of rebuilding a viable civic and political infrastructure. In such a context, the French-Saudi proposal may indeed represent one of the last serious international attempts to salvage the two-state vision. If rejected outright, it will not only bury hopes of Palestinian independence but also entrench a permanent conflict that destabilises the broader Middle East, from the Gulf states to the Mediterranean. For India and other rising powers, the stakes are equally high, as instability in West Asia threatens energy security, trade flows, and the global economic recovery. The world cannot afford for this plan to join the long list of failed accords. The responsibility now lies not only with Israel and Palestine but with the international community to summon the political courage to prevent further bloodshed and to keep alive the possibility of a just and lasting peace.