On June 17, 2025, the United Nations will host a long-overdue international conference to revive the vision of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, this meeting offers a glimmer of hope for justice, peace, and dignity in a region that has suffered decades of occupation, war, and heartbreak. The world cannot ignore the urgency of this moment—when Gaza lies in ruins, when the West Bank is slowly being swallowed by settlements, and when the very existence of Palestinians as a people is under threat.
It is time to speak clearly: what is happening in Palestine is not a “conflict” between equals. It is a brutal military occupation. It is a campaign of systemic dehumanization and violence by a state—Israel—that has long abandoned any semblance of morality or international legality. The cries of children under rubble in Gaza, the demolition of homes in the West Bank, the detention of thousands without trial, and the stripping away of every fundamental human right from an entire people are not random consequences of war—they are symptoms of an apartheid regime and a settler-colonial project fueled by expansionist, Zionist ideology.
The Human Tragedy in Gaza
Since the Hamas attack in October 2023, Israel’s response has gone far beyond retaliation. It has entered the realm of collective punishment, carpet bombing neighborhoods, destroying hospitals and schools, and starving a besieged population. More than 35,000 Palestinians—many of them women and children—have been killed. Thousands more remain buried under rubble. Essential infrastructure has been decimated. Families are drinking contaminated water and living under constant fear of drone strikes.
This is not merely a tragedy. It is genocide. It meets the legal definition: the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Israel’s war machine operates with impunity, backed by the silence or complicity of major powers. International law is trampled daily, and the world watches with helpless horror.
A History of Aggression and Occupation
The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 violates numerous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Resolution 242 (1967) demands the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the Six-Day War. Resolution 338 (1973) calls for immediate ceasefire and implementation of 242. Resolution 446 (1979) declares that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal. Yet, Israel continues to expand its grip on the West Bank, with over 700,000 settlers now living illegally on Palestinian land.
In Jerusalem, sacred Islamic sites have been routinely violated. Palestinian homes are demolished to make way for settlements. Children are arrested in night raids. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called it what it is—apartheid. Even Israeli and Jewish scholars are beginning to acknowledge that their state is veering toward fascism under leaders who embrace annexation and deny Palestinian nationhood altogether.
The Systematic Violation of International Law
Israel’s actions are a direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into the territory it occupies. Its treatment of civilians in Gaza, its destruction of civilian infrastructure, and its use of collective punishment all constitute war crimes.
These violations are also against the United Nations Charter, particularly Articles 1 and 55, which call for the promotion of self-determination, human rights, and international peace and security. The rights of the Palestinian people have been denied for over 75 years. They have become a stateless people, imprisoned in their own land.
The Right to Self-Determination
The United Nations has consistently recognized the Palestinian right to self-determination. General Assembly Resolution 3236 (1974) affirms this right, as well as the right to national independence and sovereignty. Yet, Israel and its allies have obstructed the implementation of these resolutions at every stage, most notably through the use of the veto in the Security Council.
Today, nearly 150 countries recognize the State of Palestine, yet it remains a UN observer rather than a full member because of the United States’ unyielding veto. This is not diplomacy—it is a denial of justice.
The Two-State Solution: From River to Sea
What is the way forward?
It lies in the just and dignified creation of a free, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state—from the River to the Sea—coexisting alongside Israel, as envisioned by multiple UN resolutions and the long-sought two-state solution. The original UN Partition Plan of 1947 (Resolution 181) proposed two states, but what followed was Nakba—the catastrophe that led to the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians. Since then, Israel has systematically expanded beyond the borders allotted to it.
Now is the time for Israel to return to its 1948 borders. All occupied Arab lands—including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Gaza—must be returned to their rightful owners. The right of return for Palestinian refugees, as guaranteed under Resolution 194 (1948), must be implemented. Only such measures can ensure durable peace, not temporary ceasefires or lopsided agreements.
The World Must Choose
France is now considering recognizing a Palestinian state. Ireland, Norway, and Spain have already taken that step. The UN conference in June must serve as a turning point. It must bring moral clarity and diplomatic momentum to a struggle that has endured far too long.
Peace-loving nations, institutions, and individuals across the world must now rise for justice. They must press their governments to support full Palestinian membership at the United Nations. They must call for sanctions on Israel until it abides by international law. They must boycott companies complicit in the occupation. Civil society must amplify Palestinian voices. The media must stop normalizing Israel’s crimes as “self-defense” and instead name the oppression for what it is.
This is not about religion or ethnicity. It is about human rights, international law, and the universal value of freedom and dignity.
A Moral Imperative
History will not be kind to those who stood silent while Gaza burned. The time has come for courage, for humanity, and for justice. The time has come to free Palestine—not with rockets or revenge, but with law, legitimacy, and the united will of humankind.
Let the creation of a Palestinian state, from the River to the Sea, be the beginning of peace—not just for Palestine and Israel, but for the entire Middle East and the conscience of the world. Only then can we claim to be true to the principles of the United Nations, the Geneva Conventions, and the simple, sacred idea that every child—regardless of their race or religion—deserves to live in peace, safety, and freedom.
Palestine will be free.
And justice will prevail.
