Ben-Ami: Israel is living under apartheid, two-state solution currently impossible

Former Israeli foreign minister and chief negotiator at the Camp David summit, Professor Shlomo Ben-Ami, has said there is no realistic prospect of implementing a two-state solution under current conditions, arguing that Israel effectively operates as a “binational state” with discriminatory and segregationist policies resembling the apartheid system once practiced in South Africa.

Speaking on a history podcast, Ben-Ami said the continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, alongside a clear shift to the right in Israeli society and the military establishment, had made a two-state settlement extremely difficult to achieve.

He also warned that continuing along this path could lead to prolonged internal conflict or something resembling a long-term civil war.

The Israeli politician and historian addressed several key issues, including the current Israeli government, which he described as a “colonial system with authoritarian tendencies”.

He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war in Gaza for personal and political reasons, primarily to contain the fallout from the failures of 7^th October and pursue what he calls “total victory”.

Ben-Ami also warned that Netanyahu’s re-election could weaken Israel’s democratic institutions and accelerate moves to annex the occupied West Bank.