Anti-Israel Activists Express Desire for Single State, Replacing Israel

Recent anti-Israel demonstrations in the U.S. and globally have seen activists articulate a desire for a single, unified state in place of Israel, a departure from the long-standing international advocacy for a two-state solution. In interviews with Fox News Digital, three leaders within the movement stated their goal is one democratic state encompassing modern-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, where Palestinians would have equal rights and a right of return.

These leaders, who spoke frankly amid coordinated international protests, described a political vision where Israel would cease to exist as a separate Jewish nation-state. The current population of Israel is approximately 10 million, including about 7.8 million Jews and 2 million Palestinian Arabs. Globally, there are an estimated 10.2 million Jews and about 13.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and diaspora.

The sentiment was evident in chants and signs at protests in Washington D.C., London, and New York. Protesters were heard chanting phrases like "Free, free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." In New York, the Party for Socialism and Liberation circulated video of protesters chanting, "We don't want no two state!" Similarly, in London, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign promoted a video with chants of "There is only one state! Palestine, '48!"

A Single Democratic State

Hatem Abudayyeh, founder of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, stated that his organization advocates for "one democratic secular state of Palestine" that includes the West Bank, Gaza, and the "1948 Palestinian territories," a reference to the land Israel claimed upon its establishment. He asserted that this vision requires the dismantling of "the racist system of Zionism."

Abudayyeh emphasized the importance of the Palestinian "right of return" for refugees and their descendants, stating that "five to seven million refugees" should have the right to return to their homes and lands. He compared the movement's objective to the international campaign against apartheid in South Africa, asserting that Israel does not have the right to exist as a "racist, Zionist, apartheid, white supremacist state."

Sam Husseini, a Palestinian-American candidate for Congress, echoed the call for a single state with "one person, one vote" and a Palestinian right of return. He also proposed a novel name for such a state: "1948," referencing the year Israel declared independence and Palestinians observe as the "Nakba," or catastrophe. Husseini suggested that many Israeli Jews would accept the name Palestine if all inhabitants were guaranteed equal rights.

Miko Peled, an Israeli-born Jewish activist and founder of the Palestine House in Washington D.C., described the current situation as an "apartheid state" and advocated for a "real democracy, free Palestine, with equal rights." He stated that the country should be called Palestine, its historical name, rather than Israel, which he noted is a more recent designation.

Organizations such as Code Pink, the People's Forum, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, BreakThrough News, and the ANSWER Coalition, some reportedly funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, have been active in organizing and amplifying these demonstrations. While not all groups explicitly detail the one-state vision, their amplified slogans align with this objective.