Three moves that could put a two-state solution within reach

In the aftermath of the recent Iran-Israel war, the prospect of peace between Israelis and Palestinians seems ever more distant. While the world focuses on the resolution of cross-border conflicts, history shows that it will be the internal politics of all parties that will ultimately drive change for the better.

After months of mass protests against Netanyahu’s anti-democratic government, the horrors of October 7, and the devastating war that followed, I became convinced that at 63, I would never witness a peace agreement.

Yet, in the past month, I have started to reconsider – not because the situation has improved, far from it – but because history shows that moments of crisis can spark seismic political change.

The Middle East is no stranger to dramatic political shifts. The first significant example is the transformation following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Six months before, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had declared, “the stage of total confrontation with Israel is to begin”. After heavy casualties, Israel eventually repelled the Arab forces. Though militarily inconclusive, the war had profound political consequences.

Just four years later, in November 1977, Sadat stunned the world by declaring he was willing to travel to the ends of the earth to protect Egyptian lives. In an unprecedented move, he traveled to Israel’s Knesset, becoming the first Arab leader to address the Israeli parliament. By September 1978, the Camp David Accords were signed, and in March 1979, Egypt and Israel formalised peace.

In just over five years, the geopolitics of the region had been transformed.