Not complete separation nor forced unification. The federal alternative

In September 2025, a group of Israeli and Palestinian young people traveled to the Italian island of Ventotene, inspired by a federal manifesto from 1941. Amid the trauma of October 7 and the destruction in Gaza, they founded the 'Young Federalists' movement and drafted a federal charter. The article calls for replacing the political paradigm with an Israeli-Palestinian federal model based on equality, mutual recognition, and non-domination, with two independent states along the 1967 borders and a unified Jerusalem as a shared capital.

In September 2025, in the midst of war, a group of Israeli and Palestinian young people traveled to the Italian island of Ventotene. The location was chosen for its history: in 1941, Italian political prisoners there drafted a federal manifesto that later contributed to the European Union. The meeting, set against the trauma of October 7 and the destruction in Gaza, led to the founding of the 'Young Federalists' movement and the formulation of a federal charter. The article, by movement leaders Nitzan Gat and Bilasan Karbasa, presents a political alternative to existing models: neither complete separation (walls and military control) nor forced unification (one state). The proposed model is an Israeli-Palestinian federation with two independent states based on the 1967 borders, a unified Jerusalem as a shared capital, joint federal institutions with equal representation, a common internal market, and a federal security command. The article emphasizes that the model enshrines equal rights and non-domination from day one, and includes a commitment to implementing UN resolutions on refugees. The article is a political opinion piece calling for a complete replacement of the political paradigm.