Israel’s Threat Remains
Palestine Needs a Sovereign State Now

The recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, which concluded with a ceasefire, marks a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history. This pause in hostilities is a vital step toward de-escalation, sparing further loss of life and destruction. We commend Qatar’s diplomatic efforts and urge Israel and its allies to honor the truce and work toward a permanent end to violence. However, despite the ceasefire, Israel remains a persistent threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. Its long history of aggression and destabilizing actions across the region continues to undermine regional integrity.

This conflict, triggered by Israel’s preemptive strikes on Iran’s population centers, nuclear sites, and missile facilities, has exposed vulnerabilities in Israel’s long-standing claim to military supremacy. For decades, Israel has projected unchallenged dominance in the region—through the wars of 1948 and 1967, and through repeated military operations in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. These actions have consistently violated international law, infringed upon the sovereignty of neighboring countries, and perpetrated grave human rights abuses. Israel must be held accountable for these transgressions, including illegal military incursions and the systemic oppression of civilian populations. Furthermore, Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons poses a severe threat to global stability and must be fully dismantled to ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.

The war has also challenged Israel’s narrative of invincibility. Iran’s missile counterstrikes have demonstrated that Israel is not immune to significant retaliation. Despite Israel’s sophisticated air defenses and counteroffensives, the heavy toll of the conflict—along with reports of Israelis seeking refuge abroad via maritime and land routes—signals a moment of reckoning for a nation long accustomed to swift victories. The myth of Israel’s unchallenged dominance has been punctured. Iran’s resilience, along with the involvement of global powers such as the United States, underscores the limits of military might in resolving deep-rooted regional tensions. Iran has shown itself to be a model of steadfastness and readiness, standing firm against Zionist aggression and delivering a historic lesson to the forces of oppression.

However, this ceasefire must not be seen as an endpoint but as a catalyst to address the root causes of conflict in the region—most importantly, the unresolved Palestinian crisis. For decades, the Palestinian people have endured occupation, displacement, and systemic violence. The international community must seize this moment to immediately implement the Two-State Solution, ensuring a just and lasting resolution through the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. To achieve this, Israel must cease all forms of aggression, including settlement expansion, military incursions, and airstrikes in neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon. It must withdraw to its internationally recognized borders and dismantle the structures of occupation that continue to inflict suffering in the West Bank and Gaza. The international community must act decisively—by holding aggressors accountable, enforcing international law, and supporting meaningful negotiations—to secure a fair and enduring resolution to this long-standing conflict.

Adv. Sharfuddin Ahmad
National Vice President
Social Democratic Party of India