Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said at the MEAD conference in Washington on Wednesday that a two-state solution is unlikely in the coming decade following the shock of the October 7 massacre, arguing that the burden of proof now lies with the Palestinians to demonstrate they do not seek Israel’s destruction.
In an on-stage interview with New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, Lapid warned that Israel’s regional standing suffers when Jerusalem appears out of sync with Washington. “Some of Israel’s strength comes from the fact that we are fully coordinated with the president, the administration, and the United States,” he said. “When they see that we are not, it harms our power and influence in the region.”
October 7 fundamentally changed Israeli public opinion
Addressing international criticism of Israel, Lapid said friends can be critical, but accused parts of the world of adopting “a terror organization’s narrative.” He noted that Israel represents 0.1% of the world’s population, yet receives a disproportionate share of condemnations. “There were half a million people killed in Syria, in Sudan, in Myanmar,” he said. “Why? There is only one possible answer: it is because of the Jews.”
Lapid urged critics to “learn the facts,” saying there is hunger in Gaza but blaming Hamas for much of it. He cited “700–800 trucks” waiting to enter through Kerem Shalom and questioned why global attention overlooks crises elsewhere. “When you talk about this, it is worth talking about who is responsible,” he said.
On the conflict’s endgame, Lapid said October 7 fundamentally changed Israeli public opinion. “There will not be a two-state solution in the next decade because of what happened after October 7, including celebrations in Ramallah on the morning of the massacre,” he said. “The burden of proof moved from us to the Palestinians. Right now, what we learned on October 7 is that we must defend ourselves from people who want to kill us, and they must prove to us they do not, before we start talking about more optimistic versions of the future.”
The MEAD Summit, now in its third year and held this week in Washington, convened senior figures from the United States, Israel and moderate Arab states for discussions on security, intelligence, technology, energy, finance and governance aimed at strengthening US engagement in the Middle East and advancing regional integration.