What would a two-state solution actually look like?

It means creating two independent countries: Israel and Palestine.

Under the version supported in UN diplomacy, Israel would continue to exist as a sovereign state, and an independent Palestinian state would be created mainly in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The starting point for the border would generally be the pre-1967 lines, although Israel and Palestine could agree to exchange some areas of land.

Jerusalem would need an agreed solution, with current UN-backed proposals envisaging it as the capital of both Israel and Palestine.

Gaza and the West Bank would need to be connected in some way so Palestine could function as one country rather than two disconnected territories. Questions about Palestinian refugees, Israeli security, settlements and borders would also have to be resolved.

One of the biggest problems is Israeli settlements. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers now live in the territory intended for a Palestinian state. The ICJ says those settlements violate international law and that Israel must evacuate settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

So, very simply, the idea is: Israel → an independent Israeli state; Palestine → an independent Palestinian state. Neither people would rule over the other. Both would have political self-determination and recognised borders.

The UN continues to support a solution based on two sovereign states living side by side in peace and security, broadly based on the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem serving as the capital of both.