The British Peel Commission first proposed separate Jewish and Arab states in the region in 1937. Since then, the concept of a two-state solution has sparked fierce debate between Jews and Palestinians.
Decades of Palestinian attacks on Israelis and growing societal isolation have eroded public support for a two-state solution. Polls in Jerusalem and Ramallah have consistently shown a decline in support for the plan.
Following the traumatic events of October 7, 2023, the two-state solution lost nearly all public support in Israel. By July 2024, the Knesset had overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the creation of a Palestinian state permanently.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and U.S. Ambassador David Friedman at an overlook near the West Bank city of Ariel
(Photo: GPO)
With former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the 2024 presidential election, the United States may now join Israel in moving beyond the two-state model, signaling a shift toward a new approach grounded in current realities. David Friedman, one of Trump’s key advisers on Israel, has authored a book outlining an alternative plan.
With Trump heading back to the White House, there’s a possibility that, as US president, he will enable Israel to put Friedman’s vision into action. “I believe Donald Trump will give Israel a free hand to decide our own destiny,” said Josh Reinstein, head of the Israel Allies Foundation, which educates and empowers an international network of pro-Israel legislators. “Trump understands that Israel is America’s greatest ally and that we understand our own security concerns.”
The incoming president has a history of supporting Israel, shaped mainly by key advisers, including top evangelical Christian advisers like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Ambassador Friedman, who is Jewish.
Trump’s first term saw nine significant pro-Israel policies enacted. These included moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, declaring that Israel is not an occupying force in the West Bank (but rather that the territory is disputed), withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, defunding UNRWA, withdrawing from UNESCO, enacting the Taylor Force Act, closing the Palestinian mission in Washington, and signing an executive order to combat antisemitism.
However, one policy that Friedman advocated for but was not implemented was the annexation of Area C, the area in the West Bank currently under Israeli control. Now, many believe that under Trump, Israel will have the freedom to pursue it.
“We want the ability to claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria without interference,” Reinstein said. He added that, while past US administrations pressured Israel to take actions counter to its national interests, “now the pressure will be lifted.” Reinstein suggested that if Friedman returns to a strategic role, Israel’s path forward will be smoother.
Friedman is one of the very few who have been with Trump since day one and remains in his inner circle. At February’s National Religious Broadcasters conference, he was the only audience member Trump called on stage. Rumors last month suggested that Trump might name Friedman as US ambassador to the United Nations or secretary of state.
Even without these titles, Friedman is expected to play a leading role in the new administration’s Israel policy. In September, Friedman published a book titled "One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope To Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict." His book proposes extending Israeli sovereignty across the West Bank and offering permanent residency to the 2.7 million Palestinians living there.
It also calls for American and Gulf support for a “Marshall Plan” to boost the region’s health care, education and prosperity. “One Jewish State is a roadmap for an alternative to the two-state solution that many leaders in Israel have informally adopted,” Reinstein said. “This is the future, and the two-state solution is the past.”
Friedman was in Israel in October, hosting events around his book. One event, which attracted several hundred supporters, was a Middle East Summit with Israel365, an Israel-based organization that connects the country with Christians. Days later, Friedman held an event in the West Bank attended by 10 Israeli government ministers, all of whom backed his vision.
Friedman first developed the plan for his book after the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping over 250 others. He said over the summer that the plan was already in his mind, but October 7 underscored for him that a two-state solution could no longer be viable.
Since then, he and Rabbi Tuly Weisz have collaborated to advance the plan. Leading up to the presidential election, Weisz was working to gain mainstream support for Judea and Samaria in the hope of a Trump victory. Weisz said that he has spent the past year galvanizing the pro-Jewish settlement community and connecting them with Trump’s team in the U.S.
“We have brought many important leaders to Judea and Samaria over the last two years and have started working closely with Ambassador Friedman so that his vision for one Jewish state will become policy in the upcoming Trump Administration,” Weisz said.
Knesset Member Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Land of Israel caucus, led the resolution against a Palestinian state, which garnered the support of 68 of the 120 members of Knesset. “The idea that a Palestinian state is a no-go in Israel is widely accepted in Israel. So now, people ask, if not a state, if not a two-state solution, what is the next step? What is the solution? Sovereignty is definitely an option," Rothman said.
Nadia Matar, an Israeli activist who attended the Middle East Summit, co-chairs the Sovereignty Movement and founded Women in Green, expressed similar views. She said her organization has been advocating for sovereignty for more than 20 years, but after October 7, the concept became mainstream. “The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel,” she said. “We need Israeli sovereignty. We all say no to a Palestinian state. What has taken many, many years to promote has all of a sudden become something normal.”
The concept of a one-state solution that respects Palestinians and offers them autonomy, similar to Puerto Rico’s status, is something Trump’s evangelical Christian community also supports. Evangelicals back Israel due to their literal reading of the Old Testament, where Genesis 12 says Christians should support Israel: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”
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