Will Iran finally recognise Israel? Tehran debates after reformist clerics back two-nation solution

Iran is facing a historic debate over its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A group of reformist clerics in Qom recently expressed their support for a two-state solution. Interestingly, this is a vast shift from Tehran’s long-standing opposition to recognising Israel.

As per a report in The Guardian, the development has, in turn, ignited tensions within the political landscape, particularly between hardliners and reformists, in the country.

Iran’s revolutionary ideology has, for decades, been built around opposition to Israel, encapsulated in the slogan “Death to Zionism,” a key element of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tehran has consistently rejected the legitimacy of the Israeli state, viewing it as a colonial settler project.

Under former President Mohammad Khatami, Iran even proposed a controversial one-state solution that would marginalise Israeli Jews by limiting voting rights to Palestinians and those living in the region before the 1948 establishment of Israel.

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However, on October 21, the assembly of scholars and lecturers at Qom Seminary, a prominent body of reformist-leaning clerics, issued a statement calling for the creation of an independent Palestinian state and the return of Israeli forces to their pre-1967 borders.
While the statement stopped short of formally recognising Israel, it hinted at a shift toward supporting a two-state solution—something that would require acknowledging the existence of Israel.

The clerics’ position sparked protests outside Qom Seminary after Friday prayers, and the hardline daily Kayhan quickly denounced the statement, calling it “despicable” and accusing the clerics of serving as a “propaganda machine for the enemy.”

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The head of Iran’s judiciary also condemned the move, suggesting possible corrective action. In response, the clerics clarified that while they recognised “the heinous crimes of the Zionist state,” they believed a two-state solution would end the violence and bloodshed.

The debate comes at the wake of growing discontent within Iran over its foreign policy, particularly its unwavering support for Palestinian groups and its hostility toward Israel, which includes its absence from a recent two-day international conference on the two-state solution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The report further added that former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently remarked that many Iranians are weary of a government that prioritises Palestinian issues over their own national concerns, suggesting a potential shift in public sentiment.

Iran’s position began to show signs of flexibility under President Ebrahim Raisi, who, in December 2023, supported a Jordanian-tabled UN resolution endorsing a two-state solution, albeit with significant reservations.

With inputs from agencies.