The Two-State Solution

Start with the plain meaning. Then see which land and which questions are involved.

1. What is the two-state solution?

The two-state solution is a plan for two separate states. One is Israel. The other is Palestine. They would live side by side.

The UN Security Council used these words in Resolution 1397 of 12 March 2002. It affirmed a vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side. It added “secure and recognized borders”. The vote was 14 in favour, none against, and Syria abstaining.

The plan is a proposal, not a finished fact. The 1993 Declaration left borders and Jerusalem for later talks.

2. Which land and which lines are involved?

The land in question is the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Israel occupied all three in 1967. The UN calls them the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Palestinians and Arab states ask for a state on this land. The Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 names the lines of 4 June 1967. It also names East Jerusalem as the capital of that state.

In 2005 Israel withdrew its settlers and troops from Gaza. It kept control over Gaza’s borders, seashore and airspace. This is according to the UN history of the question.

3. Which hard issues must the two states settle?

The 1993 Declaration of Principles lists the remaining issues. They are called permanent-status issues. They include Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements and borders. It also names relations with neighbours and other issues.

These issues were left for later talks. Camp David in 2000 and Taba in 2001 tried to settle them. The UN history records both rounds as inconclusive.

The Arab Peace Initiative adds a view on refugees. It asks for a just solution based on General Assembly Resolution 194.

The timeline runs from 1947 to 2014. Learn the dates in order, with one fact for each.

4. What did Resolution 181 propose in 1947?

The UN wanted to end the British Mandate in Palestine. It proposed two independent states. One was Palestinian Arab and the other was Jewish. Jerusalem would be an international city.

Resolution 181 (II) was adopted on 29 November 1947. The vote was 33 for, 13 against and 10 abstentions. India voted against. China and the United Kingdom abstained.

5. What changed in 1948 and 1967?

One of the two planned states proclaimed independence as Israel. In the 1948 war it expanded to 77 per cent of Mandate Palestine, says the UN history. Jordan and Egypt controlled the rest of the land meant for the Arab state.

In 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Security Council then adopted Resolution 242 on 22 November 1967. It asked for withdrawal from territories occupied in the recent conflict.

Resolution 242 also spoke of secure and recognised boundaries for every state in the area. Resolution 338 followed in 1973.

6. What did the PLO declare in 1988, and what did India do?

The Palestine National Council met in Algiers in 1988. It proclaimed the State of Palestine on 15 November 1988. The UN history records this step.

The Tribune reported in 2020 that India became one of the first countries to recognise the Palestinian State in 1988. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said India stays supportive of Palestinians’ aspirations for statehood.

EUNews counts recognitions from 1988.

7. What did the Oslo Accords agree in 1993?

Israel and the PLO signed the Declaration of Principles on 13 September 1993. Foreign Minister Peres signed for Israel. Mahmoud Abbas signed for the PLO. Rabin and Arafat shook hands. The signing took place at the White House.

The two sides recognised each other. The deal set up a Palestinian Authority for a transitional period of up to five years. It pointed to a permanent settlement based on Resolutions 242 and 338.

Note one thing. The Declaration does not mention a Palestinian state. It sets up interim self-government. The two-state idea grew around it later.

Oslo II, in September 1995, divided the West Bank into areas under Israeli control, Palestinian control and Israeli military responsibility with Palestinian civil administration.

8. What happened at Camp David, Taba and Annapolis?

The UN history records that talks on the permanent-status issues in 2000 and 2001 were inconclusive. They were held at Camp David and Taba.

The Annapolis process of 2007 and 2008 did not yield a permanent-status agreement. In 2007 Hamas took over Gaza by force, and Israel imposed a blockade.

The talks begun in 2013 were suspended by Israel in April 2014. Israel acted after the announcement of a Palestinian national consensus government. The UN history gives this account.

9. What did the Arab Peace Initiative and the Road Map offer?

The Arab Peace Initiative was adopted on 28 March 2002. It asked for full Israeli withdrawal to the lines of 4 June 1967. It asked for a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as capital. In return, Arab states offered a peace agreement and normal relations.

The Quartet released a Road Map in 2003. The Quartet is the UN, the US, the EU and Russia. The UN history describes it as a Road Map to a two-State solution.

Neither plan ended the dispute.

Since 2012 most steps have come from the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and the ICJ.

10. What status does Palestine hold at the UN?

On 29 November 2012 the General Assembly gave Palestine non-member observer State status. Resolution 67/19 passed by 138 votes to 9, with 41 abstentions. India was among the 138.

Full UN membership needs the Security Council. On 18 April 2024 a draft recommending membership won 12 votes. Britain and Switzerland abstained. The US vetoed it, The National reported.

In May 2024 Palestine was granted additional rights and privileges at the UN.

11. What did the ICJ and the General Assembly say in 2024?

The International Court of Justice gave an advisory opinion on 19 July 2024. The Court was answering questions posed by the General Assembly. It found Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful. It said Israel should end it as rapidly as possible.

The Court also said Israel should cease immediately all new settlement activities. It should also evacuate all settlers and make reparations. The UN history records these points.

In September 2024 the General Assembly demanded that Israel end its occupation within 12 months.

12. What is the New York Declaration, and how did states recognise Palestine in 2025?

A UN conference met on 28 to 30 July 2025. It adopted the New York Declaration on the two-state solution. The document number is A/CONF.243/2025/1.

On 12 September 2025 the General Assembly endorsed it. The vote was 142 in favour, 10 against and 12 abstentions. The ten against were Argentina, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States.

India voted in favour, Akashvani reported.

Recognition counts depend on the date. EUNews counted 143 of 193 in July 2025. Al Jazeera counted 157 of 193 on 23 September 2025, after the new announcements. On 22 September 2025 the UN history records that ten countries announced their recognition. They were Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

13. What does Security Council Resolution 2803 say?

The Council adopted Resolution 2803 on 17 November 2025. The vote was 13 in favour and none against. Russia and China abstained. It endorses a Gaza plan put forward by US President Trump.

The American Society of International Law notes the text on statehood is conditional. It says a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood may open only after the PA reform programme is carried out. Gaza redevelopment must also have advanced.

The ASIL analysis adds that the resolution makes no explicit reference to the two-state solution.

Here the lesson names who says what. Treat each position as a claim by its speaker.

14. How do settlements and the barrier affect the plan?

The European Union reported on Israeli settlements for 2025. It said the government approved plans for 54 new official settlements in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem). This was the highest number in a single year. It also counted 86 new outposts.

The report cites Peace Now and Ir Amim for planning data. The report’s own sum is 63,311 housing units advanced in 2025. Of these, 27,941 come from Peace Now for the West Bank and 35,370 from Ir Amim for East Jerusalem. The report cites UN OCHA for 1,828 settler attacks.

The EU says settlements are illegal under international law. It says they endanger the prospects of a two-state solution. The ICJ opinion of 2024 also said Israel should cease immediately all new settlement activities.

The UN history says Israel began building a West Bank separation wall in the period 2000 to 2008. It says the wall lies mostly within the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

15. What do Israeli and German leaders say?

The Knesset voted 68 to 9 on 18 July 2024 for a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Nine members voted against, so the vote was not unanimous. Al Jazeera, citing Israeli media, reported the vote.

In September 2025 Prime Minister Netanyahu said there would be no Palestinian state, Al Jazeera reported. On 7 December 2025 he said, as Al Jazeera quoted him, that the purpose of a Palestinian state is to destroy the Jewish state.

At that press conference German Chancellor Merz said a Palestinian state alongside Israel “presumably” offers the best prospect. He also said Germany had no plan to recognise Palestine “in the foreseeable future”. These are positions of the speakers, not facts about the future.

16. How much public support does the plan have?

Polls give a range, and wording matters. A joint PSR and Tel Aviv University poll of September 2024 found 40 per cent of Palestinians in favour and 59 per cent against. Among Israelis, 31 per cent were in favour and 58 per cent against. The Israeli total includes Arab citizens. Among Jewish Israelis 21 per cent were in favour, and among Arab citizens 72 per cent.

A Palestinian Peace Coalition (Geneva Initiative) poll of April 2026 asked 600 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It found 56.7 per cent said the two-state solution is suitable. It also found 65.6 per cent would accept a negotiated state on the 1967 borders.

In the same April 2026 poll, 83.6 per cent called it unlikely in the near term. Samples, dates and questions differ, so do not merge these numbers.

17. What is India's position?

India voted against Resolution 181 in 1947. The Tribune reports that India recognised the Palestinian State in 1988. India voted for the 2012 resolution that made Palestine an observer State.

India voted for the General Assembly endorsement of the New York Declaration in September 2025.

PTI reported on 14 July 2026 that India backed Palestine’s bid for UN membership. It reported on 19 August 2026 that a Ministry of External Affairs secretary reiterated support for a negotiated two-state solution.

The exam asks a plain question. Match a news term to the right country or region.

18. What did UPSC ask in 2018?

UPSC asked about the term in the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018. It was question 24 of General Studies Paper I in the Series A booklet.

The facts in this lesson point to one option. Every UN text above names Israel and Palestine as the two states. The paper on the UPSC site lists the options in this order. The live practice quiz lists them in a different order, with the same country. The official UPSC key gives option (b) Israel for Series A.

You can also open the question on the site’s own paper page: UPSC CSP 2018 GS Paper I, question 24.

19. Why do the other options not fit?

The cited UN texts speak of two States, Israel and Palestine. They do not name Yemen, Iraq or China as one of the two.

China does appear in this story, but as a voter. It abstained on Resolution 181 in 1947. It abstained again on Resolution 2803 in 2025. A voter in a UN debate is not one of the two states.

For the exam, the UN texts above point to Israel and Palestine.

20. What is a one-glance table of the two-state solution?

Add one live hook for each row before the exam.