How interpretations of the phrase 'from the river to the sea' made it so divisive

[Beastly Boy]

7. This is not a matter of recognizing a nation.

It is the recognition of Israel's right to exist as a sovereign state.

And yes, Israel recognized the State of Palestine in 1948, within the proposed borders of partitioned Mandatory Palestine. The Palestinians refused to recognize their own state, and so did every Arab country, leading to Jordan's annexation of the West Bank and Egypt's annexation of Gaza.

At this point, Palestine is not a viable state whose existence may be recognized within established international borders. Even under the limited administrative rule agreed upon in the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is not in control of Gaza, and Hamas is not in control of the West Bank. However, Israel had been supportive of creating a sovereign Palestinian State as early as 2001. Every prime minister since then, with the exception of Netanyahu, reiterated this support.