A Two-State Solution: The only viable path to peace in Israel and Palestine
Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
In February, I joined a Lib Dem delegation to visit Israel and the West Bank.
We went to deepen our understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the recent experiences of communities on all sides of it. You can only learn so much from news and remote conversations; we wanted to be on the ground and see what was happening.
We also wanted to promote a clear message: that moderates in both Israeli and Palestinian society must be empowered in the face of efforts by extremists in both communities to polarise opinion and destroy prospects for a two-state solution.
During the visit, I met with activists, stakeholders and policy makers across both Israel and Palestine. They were generous with their time and experiences. A number made a particular impression.
We visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza and met with Rafaela Treistman, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival attack. Rafaela recounted the horror of Hamas’ attack on October 7, and the atrocities committed by the terror organisation. She described how the attack caused collective trauma within Israel, which remains to this day.
We also met with a number of Palestinian activists and others with direct experience of the impact of Israeli security policies on the lives of Palestinians across the West Bank - as well as the appalling humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza created by the Israeli Government’s military action.
I spent time with the Mayor of Ramallah, Issa Qassis. We discussed how the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements is undermining the foundations of the two-state solution, and the vital need to halt and roll back that expansion.
We also reflected on key obstacles to growth in Palestine’s economy, including increased Israeli restrictions on movement and the need for governance reform in the Palestinian Authority. We discussed the impact and risks of high youth unemployment.
We took this conversation further with Rula Shunnar, founder and Managing Partner of FORWARD and former advisor to Palestinian Authority Ministers (including for the National Economy and Education). Rula outlined in further detail the impact of the Israeli Government’s policies on the Palestinian economy in the West Bank.
This week, @timfarron.bsky.social, @victoria-collins.bsky.social & I travelled to Israel and Palestine to listen, learn and ask questions of a range of people. We had robust discussions about aid access, tackling corruption, settlement expansion, overcoming terrorism, and delivering accountability.
— Calum Miller (@calummillerld.bsky.social) 2026-02-20T11:57:32.710Z
Following our time in the West Bank, we met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. This was a ceremonial meeting in this capacity as Head of State - but we used the opportunity to challenge the President on Israel’s actions in Gaza, on the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, on steps to build understanding between Israelis and Palestinians including through education and more broadly on what was needed to revive the possibility of the two-state solution.
I weighed very carefully the decision to meet with the President but, as a liberal, I believe in the value of engaging even when I fundamentally disagree with people on key issues. In my view, it is only by keeping dialogue open that we can pursue and secure genuine progress to a long-lasting and just political settlement in the conflict.
Across all our meetings, we raised the urgent need for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, the importance of halting and reversing the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the necessity of accountability for those guilty of illegal violence and the need to secure genuine progress towards the two-state solution.
These engagements built on my meeting with President Abbas on his visit to London last September, together with Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey. In that meeting, we discussed prospects for a two-state solution and the pressing need for governance reform of the Palestinian Authority.
I have returned from the trip with a clearer understanding of the trauma and injustice felt by Palestinians and Israelis across Israel and the Occupied Territories. This is deep and significant. It is being exploited by extremists on both sides who have no interest in peace.
Nevertheless, I came away reinforced in my belief that a two-state solution remains the only outcome which will deliver security, peace and justice for both Palestinians and Israelis. Our task is now to work with and empower those actors in all communities who are striving for peaceful and just outcomes.