For many years, the supporters in Israel of a two-state solution have warned that the alternative would be a binational state.

With the stagnation and hopelessness in regard to a two-state solution and the current violent outbreak linking Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to Israeli Arabs, one can say that the binational state is now here, or rather one state in which two nationalities clash. Not only have West Bank Palestinians lost the horizon of statehood, they have no real self-rule to speak of. For years, Israel has had security control over 97% of the West Bank territories, and now it has almost free entry to the remaining 3%: Palestinian cities. In addition, East Jerusalem is under siege by Israeli police and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

About half a million settlers living east of the Green Line are there for the purpose of preventing a two-state solution. Without a border delineating two states, the West Bank has turned binational; Israel has, as well, and so has Jerusalem.

The most dangerous aspect of this deterioration is the political identification and connection of many Israeli Arabs with Palestinian independence-fighting movements: Fatah, Hamas, the Islamic movements, etc. The basic allegiance of Israeli Arabs with Israel, including their participation in the electoral process and their at least partial integration in the economy and in academic life, was one of Israel's biggest accomplishments. It was achieved against all odds as, by definition, the Arab minority identifies with the Arab countries in conflict (and wars) with Israel. Almost all Israeli governments invested the resources, integrational policies and dialogues needed to bring this about.