Crisis Studies of the Islamic World

Crisis Studies of the Islamic World

Geographical obstacles to the so-called "two-state" solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Assistant Professor of Political Geography, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Israel is a regime whose borders have not yet been fully determined and that claims sovereignty and control over parts of an occupied and disputed territory, where security discourse still constitutes the main component of the national idea. The creation of two neighboring countries requires the drawing of clear physical borders that separate the two respective territories. Over the past few decades, various proposals for border demarcation have been suggested, but these have remained nothing more than lines on a map. Although the so-called "two-state" solution enjoys the support of many countries, considering the geographical realities makes the difficulty of its implementation evident. This research aims to investigate the geographical obstacles to implementing the "two-state" solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using a descriptive-analytical method. The argument of this article is that the "two-state" solution faces four major geographical obstacles, making its implementation and operationalization almost impossible. Without clarifying the status of these four geographical barriers—including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the security barrier, and the status of Jerusalem—the "two-state" solution cannot be realized.
Keywords

Volume 12, Issue 3 - Serial Number 38
Autumn Quarterly
Autumn 2025

  • Receive Date 02 December 2024
  • Revise Date 16 January 2025
  • Accept Date 15 April 2025