--- title: A Two-State Solution Has Never Been More Vital description: Israeli settlements in the West Bank and ongoing violence in Gaza make a two-state solution more important than ever, write Mary Robinson and Helen Clark. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/08/27/a-two-state-solution-has-never-been-more-vital/ author: Mary Robinson article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-08-27T11:00:03.265Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-27T11:00:07.048Z article:section: Ideas og:title: A Two-State Solution Has Never Been More Vital og:description: Israeli settlements in the West Bank and ongoing violence in Gaza make a two-state solution more important than ever, write Mary Robinson and Helen Clark. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/08/27/a-two-state-solution-has-never-been-more-vital/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35f3629865e33dc9/6a8f51a53573db2328996707/Gaza-City-Two-State.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Gaza-City-Two-State.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Two-State Solution Has Never Been More Vital twitter:description: Israeli settlements in the West Bank and ongoing violence in Gaza make a two-state solution more important than ever, write Mary Robinson and Helen Clark. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35f3629865e33dc9/6a8f51a53573db2328996707/Gaza-City-Two-State.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  IDEAS Time ideas # A Two-State Solution Has Never Been More Vital > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Mary Robinson](https://time.com/author/mary-robinson/) and [Helen Clark](https://time.com/author/helen-clark/) Mary Robinson is a former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Helen Clark is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former Head of UNDP. Aug 27, 2026 11:00 AM UTC  A view of Gaza City, on July 19, 2026. A view of Gaza City, on July 19, 2026. Majdi Fathi—NurPhoto/Getty Images by [Mary Robinson](https://time.com/author/mary-robinson/) and [Helen Clark](https://time.com/author/helen-clark/) Mary Robinson is a former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Helen Clark is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former Head of UNDP. Aug 27, 2026 11:00 AM UTC The expansion of illegal [Israeli settlements](https://time.com/7289555/israel-expansion-settlements-west-bank/) and outposts in the West Bank, alongside the ongoing horror of life in [Gaza](https://time.com/article/2026/08/04/israel-gaza-airstrikes-hamas-disarmament-trump-peace-plan/), makes the need for a [two-state solution](https://time.com/7309671/israel-trump-palestinian-statehood/) between Israel and Palestine more urgent and necessary than ever. International dithering and procrastination must stop to preserve any chance of sustainable peace. This was our conclusion after visiting the West Bank as part of a wider Middle East trip that included meetings with Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Jordanian leaders. It is clear to us that the Government of [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu](https://time.com/7311536/netanyahus-endless-endgame/)’s policies threaten to make Palestine disappear politically, culturally, economically, and physically. Traveling through the West Bank, we had a visceral sense of a land and people under deepening occupation. Everyday life is impeded at every turn. [Settler violence ](https://time.com/article/2026/03/22/settler-attacks-west-bank/)is an integral part of this strategy, designed to intimidate and terrorize Palestinians off their land. Far from being the work of a small number of “[juvenile delinquents](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyxgn37lg5o)” as he claims, it is a state-backed campaign undertaken with the active support of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). We saw at first-hand how [state-backed ](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/16/palestine-weekly-wrap-world-sanctions-settlers-israel-funds-settlements)settlement [expansion](https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/20/middleeast/israel-far-right-settlements-gaza-intl) operates. First, hillside outposts are established by a handful of settlers. Even though these are illegal under Israel’s own laws, we heard directly how they are systematically and swiftly [protected](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/08/14/idf-troops-stood-by-west-bank-settlers-besieged-palestinian-homes/) by the IDF despite Israeli authorities from time to time [condemning](https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-slams-reprehensible-settler-outposts-in-palestinian-villages-but-doesnt-demolish-them/) settler violence. Connections to water and electricity supplies typically follow, as do roads reserved for Israelis only. The result is the physical and administrative carve-up of the West Bank. Palestinian communities are distanced from each other, their land, and the possibility of a future Palestinian state. Among the blatant evidence of what is happening is the [decades-old](https://time.com/archive/7151637/when-palestinians-use-settler-tactics-a-beleaguered-netanyahu-responds/) E1 settlement [plan](https://time.com/7309628/west-bank-settlements-israel-plan-controversy/) for Palestinian territory east of Jerusalem. On Aug. 18, the Israeli Housing Ministry [issued](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog%5Fentry/housing-ministry-issues-tenders-for-over-1200-units-in-controversial-e1-settlement-project/) a tender for over 1,200 units, setting off a process which, if completed, would sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and thereby disrupt the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state. E1 has long been a red line even for Israel's staunchest allies. Previous Israeli governments, including those led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, have stopped short of actually proceeding, in part due to international pressure. Now that commercial tenders are being issued and construction contracts potentially signed, any companies and banks tempted to get involved would be breaching international law and have been warned to that effect by a number of Western countries and the European Commission. Israel’s friends and allies must demand E1’s cancellation—not just postponement or freezing, but definitively ruling it out as a [threat](https://time.com/6329142/west-bank-settler-violence-israel-security/) to the two-state solution which is necessary for [both Israel and Palestine](https://time.com/7309671/israel-trump-palestinian-statehood/) to have peace and security. Many Israelis recognize this threat and oppose the growing extremism and intolerance in their politics and society at large. For instance, we met with President Isaac Herzog on our visit, who condemned settler violence. We also acknowledge the [deep trauma](https://time.com/6330832/israel-after-october-7-attacks-trauma/) Israel’s [people](https://time.com/6328616/israeli-medic-witness-oct-7/) suffered after the Hamas terror attacks of [October 7](https://time.com/6321849/israel-attack/), which included the detention of hostages contrary to all international law. We take inspiration from the brave Israeli and Palestinian civil society activists we met. They remain determined to combat impunity for abuses and injustice, and to strive for a future for both peoples based on equality and respect for international law. Yet this vision is far from the reality we saw on our visit. We saw how ongoing settlement of the West Bank and the sustained violence against and displacement of Palestinians threatens ethnic cleansing and annexation. Combined with the occupation of Gaza, including renewed [calls](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/smotrich-calls-building-settlements-near-gaza-amid-ongoing-israeli-offensive) by Israeli ministers for new settlements in the Strip, we are convinced that what is underway is the conquest and erasure of one state by another. This is the logic of some of the bloodiest wars of previous centuries. It is what Russia is seeking to do in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. But it cannot be an acceptable way for a country which calls itself a democracy to behave in the 21st century. Our visit ended in Brussels, where we met with representatives of the European Commission and EU member states. The EU was founded as a values-based organization to promote peaceful cooperation between nations. Given its significant trade relations with Israel, it could play a decisive role now in exerting pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government. Yet what is lacking is the political will to take even basic steps. In line with international law, the EU considers Israeli settlements to be illegal, yet EU members continue to trade with Israel. Suspending preferential trade under the EU-Israel Association Agreement is another overdue step due to Israel’s failure to comply with human rights requirements, as already [called](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip%5F25%5F2112) for by the European Commission. Nor has the EU collectively sanctioned extremist ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir. There is still time to change course before it is too late, but only just. [TIME Ideas](https://www.time.com/ideas) hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. 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