‘We Don’t Insist On Two-State Solution’: Arab-Israeli Leader Floats Alternative

Yousef Jabareen, leader of Israel’s Arab-led Joint List alliance, has said Palestinians could accept a single state encompassing Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories if they were granted full civil and voting rights, challenging the long-standing goal of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. His remarks come ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, in which Arab-led parties could emerge as kingmakers if neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition nor the opposition secures a parliamentary majority.

Jabareen, a legal scholar and Palestinian citizen of Israel, said his party did not insist on a two-state solution, distinguishing between accepting the proposal and treating it as the only possible outcome. He envisages a binational state in which Israel formally incorporates the occupied Palestinian territories while granting Palestinians equal political and civil rights. His comments do not amount to a formal change in the Joint List’s stated policy, which continues to support Palestinian statehood.

One-State Proposal Challenges Traditional Peace Formula

Jabareen argued that Palestinians could accept an arrangement under which they lived within a single political entity alongside Jewish Israelis, provided they received full equality and voting rights. He pointed to countries such as Belgium, Switzerland and Canada as examples of states accommodating distinct national or linguistic communities within one political system.

The proposal comes amid growing doubts over the viability of a two-state solution, under which an independent Palestinian state would be established alongside Israel. The expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has fragmented Palestinian territory and complicated prospects for creating a contiguous state. Jabareen’s position reflects a debate over whether equal rights within one state could offer a more realistic alternative to a diplomatic formula that has remained elusive for decades.

Arab Parties Could Hold Balance Of Power

The remarks also come as Israel prepares for a closely contested election. Arab citizens make up about one-fifth of the country’s population, and their parties could hold the balance of power if the major political blocs fall short of the 61 seats required for a Knesset majority. However, Netanyahu and prominent opposition figures have ruled out forming a coalition with Arab-led parties, complicating their ability to translate electoral strength into government influence.

Jabareen’s Joint List is seeking commitments from opposition leaders on restarting negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and addressing issues affecting Arab communities, including crime, public funding and discrimination. The alliance could offer support to an anti-Netanyahu bloc without necessarily joining a governing coalition. Its influence will depend on the election result, turnout among Arab voters and whether mainstream parties are willing to negotiate with it.