In a New York conversation, Hillary Clinton rejected growing doubts around a two-state solution and instead praised Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan as “the only game in town,” arguing it could offer a workable path if fully implemented.
When Hillary Clinton stepped into a discussion at 92NY in New York City on Monday, she was ready to talk about the Israel-Hamas war. She also had an answer for a question that has hovered over the region for years: whether a two-state solution is still possible.
The conversation, with The New Yorker’s David Remnick, moved from broader regional flashpoints to the immediate crisis in Gaza. Remnick pressed Clinton on her longtime support for a two-state approach. arguing that “if I look at the Israeli polity. they don’t want a two-state solution. certainly not now. ” and that the Palestinian side is even more complicated—making “a two-state solution … not anywhere near the offing there.”.
He asked directly if she was wrong about whether the concept could still hold.
Clinton’s response did not land where many Democrats would expect her to. “You might be, but you might not be,” she said. Then she pivoted into a positive assessment—explicitly about Trump.
“Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza is actually a pathway to security for Israel. reconstruction for Gaza. and the possibility of self-determination — however defined — for the Palestinians. ” Clinton said. She acknowledged that the plan has drawn pushback because it was proposed by Trump. but she dismissed that as the wrong lens. “There are a lot of people who reject it because Trump did it. but it’s the only game in town. There’s nothing else.”.
Clinton also said that if the plan is carried out in full. it could create a realistic way to end the war. “But I really believe if we took this 20-point plan. which starts with the disarmament of Hamas — a huge. important step yet to be accomplished — but took all of the 20 points so that it wasn’t just disarm Hamas. and maybe do some reconstruction and build some hotels. resorts on the coast. ” she said.
She added that there is still a narrow opening if the approach is implemented as described. “But if you really took the whole approach that is embodied in that 20-point plan — and I know there are people who are working to try to move forward on that — there is a glimmer of a possible path forward.”
The debate around Gaza has intensified alongside political disputes elsewhere in the U.S. Remnick also asked Clinton about current leadership dynamics, including former President Joe Biden’s decision to run for re-election. And their conversation touched the wider web of the Israel-Iran conflict. before returning to the question of how Israel and Hamas could be brought to stop fighting.
Clinton’s praise centers on a plan introduced late last year. Trump’s 20-point framework includes granting Hamas terrorists who give up their weapons in favor of peace “amnesty,” establishing Gaza as a “deradicalized terror-free zone,” and redeveloping the territory commercially.
The proposal also spells out sequencing designed to halt combat quickly if both sides agree. “If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time. all military operations. including aerial and artillery bombardment. will be suspended. and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal. ” the document says.
In January, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced that the second phase of the plan was underway. describing it as moving “from ceasefire to demilitarization. technocratic governance and reconstruction.” The administration has also implemented a Board of Peace. chaired by Trump. aimed at shaping Gaza’s transition. A previous White House statement said the board’s role is “providing strategic oversight. mobilizing international resources. and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development.”.
Clinton’s stance lands amid a broader sense of uncertainty about what can actually replace the longstanding pursuit of a two-state outcome. In the same exchange. Remnick argued that calls for two states have been slipping away—“now it’s diminishing — in the West and elsewhere”—and that the idea “began going out the window many years ago.” He left the question hanging: “Am I wrong?”.
Clinton answered without dismissing the debate as theoretical. Instead, she offered a concrete alternative—one tied to Trump’s plan and the claim that there is no substitute ready to take its place. “There’s nothing else,” she said.
Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Gaza plan 20-point plan Hamas two-state solution Israel-Hamas war Steve Witkoff Board of Peace 92NY David Remnick