HAIFA, Israel — Ever since the Six Day War of June 1967, a small number of Israelis, not all on the left, has supported the idea of two states as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most of their compatriots have rejected it, as have the Palestinians.
Israelis justified their stance with this question: Just when did the Palestinians become a nation deserving of statehood? The Palestinians were asking in return: Why should the Jews, a religious community dispersed around the world, have their own state?
A lot of water had to pass under the bridge before the idea of a two-state solution, whether as a moral or a practical matter, began to filter into the Israeli and Palestinian political and ideological environments. People gradually became accustomed to the expression "Palestinian state," and those who embraced it received support and gained prestige on the international scene.