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Benjamin Netanyahu is rubbing his eyes. He cannot believe what he is seeing. He cannot believe what he is hearing. It is as though the world is launching shells that cannot be repelled toward him — bombarding his unhinged, murderous rampage. His reckless dreams. And his delusions imported from the caves of history. The most recent wave of shells came from Canada, Australia and the UK. Britain’s recognition is a particularly bitter pill to swallow; Keir Starmer’s desire for Palestinian statehood, if fulfilled, would ease some of the suffering born of the Balfour Declaration.

Netanyahu has been thrown off balance. You cannot silence the world. You cannot send planes to get it in line. A painful question will haunt his personal history: did his adventures and crimes accelerate the rise of the world’s conscience from its slumber and leave it rushing to recognize the Palestinian state? Mighty Israel has never been on the receiving end of such a flood of diplomatic and political slaps.

The world could not tolerate the scenes from Gaza indefinitely. Residential towers vanish. Homes kill their inhabitants. Tents and the people sheltering in them burn. Tiny corpses and tiny graves. Pits of death and treacherous bread. The recurring horrors of displaced civilians who are constantly on the verge of another funeral. The despair becomes nearly overwhelming; thus, the wounded cling to history.

The unfathomable violence has not managed to kill all the people, to bring down every home, to uproot every tree. The dreams of the oppressed are fiercer than warplanes’ bombs. These dreams can hide in a child’s eyes. They lie dormant for a brief or extended period and then suddenly explode, revealing themselves. It is not true that the world has a conscience of stone, nor that it will remain in a coma forever. Here the world is now, defending the UN’s principles from New York, washing away Antonio Guterres’ tears.

Mighty Israel has never been on the receiving end of such a flood of diplomatic and political slaps

Ghassan Charbel

And the story does not end in Palestine; it is the story of the entire Middle East. Experience shows us that the Palestinian cause is the major open wound of the Middle East, even if there are others we can speak of. Israel’s policy has been built on the effort to deny this wound’s existence and erase the Palestinian people’s rightful claim to their land, or part of it.

Netanyahu’s government continues to exploit the trajectory set in motion by Yahya Sinwar’s Al-Aqsa Flood to finish off the pillars of the Palestinian dream: erasing Gaza from the map and destabilizing the West Bank, while nibbling away at what remains of it. Israel seized on the opportunity presented by the “flood” to launch an operation to reshape the region, especially in neighboring countries.

Netanyahu openly boasts of having toppled Bashar Assad, driven Iran out of Syria and removed Hassan Nasrallah from the equation. He proudly brags that his army’s jets occupy the skies of several regional states. Israeli hubris heightened to the point of sheer madness when it struck the compound housing Hamas leaders in Doha.

As they continue to follow the scenes in Gaza this week, the region’s people will also turn their attention to the significant events unfolding in New York. The two-state solution conference co-sponsored by ������Ƶ and France is a milestone for the Palestinian cause. The Kingdom’s leadership has thrown its weight behind this effort and the path to recognition of the Palestinian state has accelerated, most notably in Europe, especially among its leading powers. This unprecedented development could crystallize into a global push that foils Israel’s effort to bury the Palestinian cause under Gaza’s rubble.

We must not underestimate the significance of this shift: states that have supported Israel or turned a blind eye to its crimes for decades are now conceding that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The implications go further than that. This development also amounts to recognition that the Middle East will not enjoy stability unless this state is founded. The stability of the Middle East impacts its countries and peoples, but it is also a concern for Europe and the world; stability in this region has implications for global powers, their interests and the global economy and its stability.

The two-state solution is the key. It is the only framework that can compel Israel to become Israel again, to retreat to its borders and skies, and to cease its wanton attacks on the region. The two-state solution is the path to cutting the fuse of endless conflict. It removes the pretext that regional adventurism depends on in its pursuit of reconfiguring the region.

Israeli hubris heightened to the point of sheer madness when it struck the compound housing Hamas leaders in Doha

Ghassan Charbel

Despite Washington’s current stance, the Arab, Islamic and international weight behind the pursuit of a two-state solution will inevitably compel the American administration to conclude that it is the only framework for guaranteeing Palestinian rights and Israel’s security. This major diplomatic and political battle will take time and require patience. However, it is the Middle East’s only exit from this tunnel, the only window from which it can escape wars and horror.

The proceedings in New York are of historic significance. However, this is only the beginning of the journey. Between recognizing the Palestinian state and translating this recognition into tangible steps on the ground lies a bitter struggle that will unfold within Israel, among the Palestinians themselves and in capitals across the world, especially Washington.

The world has sent a clear message: erasing Palestinian rights is impossible. The future of nations cannot be determined by warplanes. Universal rights and international law are the architects of this future. The deliberations in New York are the cornerstone. Netanyahu’s government must be forced to hold its fire, head to the negotiating table and discuss borders and guarantees. To this end, Washington must be convinced that the time has come to heal the Palestinian wound through justice.

Israel has no option but to shun Netanyahu’s suicidal lexicon. More killing in Gaza only extends the tunnel that Israel has found itself in. The Israeli army has turned Gaza into a sea of rubble, but the Palestinian dream has once again risen from the ashes. The Palestinians, for their part, have no option but to fight for the two-state solution, pursuing this goal through the framework of international legitimacy. Exiting the tunnel will entail making difficult and painful choices, but they are inevitable. The state is more important than factions.

Yasser Arafat once chose to return to part of the land, seemingly certain that Israel’s killing machine could not uproot every home and child. That is why he always reiterated: “The state is only a stone’s throw away.”

• Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel

This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.