By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
“The two state solution was not just a missed opportunity it was deliberately buried beneath political deceit, imperial interests, and the willingness of global powers to sacrifice justice for influence.”
The long, bloody tragedy of the Middle East might have been a different story had the United Nations and its powerful member states taken decisive and fair action in the late 1940s. The possibility of a two state solution at the birth of Israel remains one of history’s most painful “what ifs.” Instead, the world witnessed a series of betrayals, double standards, and calculated manipulations that have kept the Palestinian people stateless and oppressed for more than seven decades.
The United States and the United Kingdom, nations that had the moral and political weight to ensure a peaceful and just arrangement, failed miserably. Their actions, far from fostering unity, entrenched division. In doing so, they gave Israel the green light to expand beyond the borders it was originally granted, laying the groundwork for repeated wars, dispossession, and decades of occupation.
The Colonial Blueprint of Division
When the British Mandate over Palestine ended in 1948, the partition plan proposed by the United Nations could have paved the way for coexistence between two sovereign states, one Jewish and one Arab. But the British, instead of responsibly handing over the territory under equitable terms, allowed chaos to erupt, withdrawing without ensuring stability. The United States, eager to secure its influence in the Middle East during the early Cold War, immediately threw its full diplomatic weight behind Israel.
From the start, Washington’s focus was not on justice, but on strategic footholds in the region’s oil-rich landscape. The United Kingdom, weakened by World War II but still eager to maintain relevance, played along. The promise of unity was nothing more than a performance for international audiences, while behind closed doors, military, economic, and political deals secured Israel’s dominance.
Death and Genocide in the Name of Security
Since 1948, Israel has carried out systematic campaigns of displacement, land grabs, and military operations that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. From the Nakba, when over 1.5 million Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes, to more recent bombings of Gaza, the death toll keeps climbing.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure, the targeting of journalists, the killing of children, and the blockade of essential goods are all elements of a genocidal pattern. Yet Israel insists these are acts of self-defense, a narrative Washington repeats without question. The United States has vetoed countless United Nations resolutions aimed at holding Israel accountable. Billions of dollars in military aid continue to flow annually from the US to Israel, ensuring that its war machine remains unmatched in the region. This is not merely diplomatic backing; it is active participation in the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Strategic Control Beyond the Middle East
America’s unwavering support for Israel is not just about the Middle East. Israel functions as a strategic outpost for US influence, extending its reach into Africa and Asia. Intelligence sharing, military training, and arms deals have made Israel a key partner in America’s global geopolitical chess game.
In return, Israel benefits from American protection on the international stage, allowing it to act with near-total impunity. The result is a vicious cycle. Washington needs Israel to maintain its grip on the region, and Israel needs Washington to shield it from accountability. The victims are always the same: ordinary Palestinians who continue to suffer under siege and occupation.
Russia’s Hypocrisy and Africa’s Empty Solidarity
Russia, for all its rhetoric about supporting the oppressed, has played its own cynical game. While Moscow occasionally criticizes Israeli actions, it also maintains strong diplomatic and economic ties with Tel Aviv. This is not solidarity; it is opportunism.
Russia’s aim, like America’s, is to maintain influence, not justice. African nations, many of which suffered their own colonial wounds, often declare support for Palestine in speeches and symbolic votes at the United Nations. Yet, beyond statements, there is little meaningful action. Trade agreements with Israel, security partnerships, and quiet diplomatic understandings undermine these public shows of solidarity. Palestine remains a political talking point rather than a real cause for which African states are willing to take risks.
Arab Abandonment and Jordan’s Calculated Silence
Perhaps most painful is the role of the Arab world itself. For decades, many Arab states used the Palestinian cause as a rhetorical weapon against Israel and the West, yet in practice, they abandoned Palestine in its hour of need. The recent normalization of relations between several Arab nations and Israel under the Abraham Accords only cemented this betrayal.
Jordan’s position is particularly complex and deeply troubling. Geographically and historically part of what was once considered Palestine, Jordan fears that a Palestinian state coming into existence will spark demands to reclaim lands that include Jordan itself. This fear has contributed to its unwillingness to fully support Palestinian sovereignty, complicating efforts to unify the Palestinian cause.
Religion as a Political Tool
Religion has been manipulated as a blasphemous excuse by the Zionist government to justify its ongoing occupation and aggression. The sacred sites of Jerusalem and surrounding areas have been turned into political chess pieces, with religious rhetoric exploited to maintain Israel’s relevance on the world stage.
This has inflamed tensions and created an environment where violence is justified in the name of faith. Unfortunately, the international media has often condoned this narrative. Through selective coverage, normalization of Israeli claims, and underreporting of Palestinian suffering, many global news outlets have become complicit in obscuring the harsh realities of genocide and occupation. This media complicity undermines efforts for justice and peace.
What Could Have Been
What if a genuine two state solution had been implemented in the beginning? The decades of bloodshed, cycles of revenge, and mass displacement could have been avoided or mitigated. A Palestinian state established alongside Israel with recognized borders and sovereignty could have allowed both peoples to build their nations rather than be locked in perpetual conflict.
Instead, the Western powers chose domination over justice. The United States saw Israel as a tool to secure its grip on the Middle East. The United Kingdom washed its hands of its colonial mess without repairing the damage. Russia and other global players turned the conflict into a geopolitical bargaining chip. And Africa, once a moral compass on the issue, has been left singing solidarity from the sidelines, with too little ability and perhaps too little will to effect real change.
Today, the two state solution is a ghost, invoked in speeches but buried under illegal settlements, military occupation, and walls of concrete. Palestinian territories are fragmented, leadership divided, people under siege. Israel has entrenched itself as a regional military superpower, armed to the teeth and shielded from accountability. The world watches, protests, and then moves on, until the next massacre jolts the conscience for a moment.
A Call for Global Recognition and Peace
It is time for the countries of the world to rise above geopolitical interests and recognize the State of Palestine in full. Such recognition would be a historic step towards justice and peace. The upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September 2025 must be the final nail in the coffin of violence, occupation, and injustice.
This moment presents a critical opportunity for the international community to decisively end decades of suffering by affirming Palestine’s right to sovereignty, territorial integrity, and dignity. Let this be the turning point where law and humanity prevail over arms and politics.
History’s great what if on Palestine is not just an academic exercise. It is a reminder that peace is not born from rhetoric but from political courage, the courage to uphold international law, to confront allies when they commit crimes, and to put human dignity above strategic advantage. The United States and the United Kingdom had that chance in the mid-20th century. They squandered it. And the price has been paid, generation after generation, in Palestinian lives.
If President Donald Trump in Washington, Prime Minister in London, and key Middle Eastern leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, along with major international actors such as the United Nations and the European Union, truly believe in peace, they should stop pretending that an endless occupation is anything but a slow death sentence for Palestine. They should stop selling weapons to sustain war. They should recognize, at last, that no amount of military might can erase a people’s right to freedom. Until then, the bloodshed will continue, and history will remember them not as peacemakers, but as enablers of one of the greatest injustices of our time.
About the Author
Alpha Amadu Jalloh is a writer, commentator, and advocate for justice and human rights with a focus on African affairs. He has contributed extensively to discussions on geopolitics, colonial legacies, and the ongoing struggles for sovereignty and dignity around the world. Based in Australia, Jalloh combines his experiences as a diaspora voice with a deep commitment to amplifying marginalized perspectives and promoting peace through awareness.