Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) today published what it called a “strategic roadmap” aimed at delivering a Palestinian state.

The pamphlet, Towards Two States: the Path to a Palestinian State, urged world leaders to learn lessons from the failed attempts at peace and reconciliation over the past three decades since Israel first signed the Oslo Accords with PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

It called for a “balanced” UN Security Council Resolution but cautioned so-called “third countries” like the UK from taking measures such as unilaterally recognising a Palestinian state.

The paper’s author, Dr Toby Greene, visiting fellow at the Middle East Centre at LSE and lecturer in the Department for Political Studies at Bar Ilan University in Israel, explained that countries like the UK “must play their cards – including incentives relating to recognition – carefully in the service of long-term objectives, and not squander them in response to short-term pressures,” He added that “a new flexible and balanced UN Security Council resolution, endorsing a new roadmap to Palestinian statehood but conditioning it on measures including Palestinian commitments to Israeli security, may provide a way of setting a new international framework as part of this process.”

Greene said that the need for a sustainable path to Palestinian statehood, and peace with Israel, had never been greater. “Since 7 October, Israelis and Palestinians have endured devastating violence and injustice. The urgency to initiate a diplomatic process aimed at resolving this conflict has never been greater … despite the depth of despair, it is essential to focus on constructing pathways to a more peaceful future.”

The paper also outlined proposals to replace Hamas in Gaza by establishing an internationally backed interim governing authority, with additional measures aimed at enabling a reformed Palestinian Authority to take control of governance in Gaza.

LFI director Michael Rubin said: “As we navigate one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Labour Friends of Israel’s new pamphlet seeks to step out the concrete steps necessary for a Palestinian state and regional stability. Toby Greene's historically grounded and pragmatic approach provides a clear roadmap for what needs to happen to achieve Palestinian statehood as part of the two-state solution we desperately want to see.”