A BBC documentary reveals for the first time the map for a two-state solution that former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said he presented to PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas in 2008.
The Palestinian leader rejected the peace proposal, which would have ceded more than 94% of Judea and Samaria for a Palestinian state, with Israel annexing 4.9% of the area to retain the areas of major Israeli communities. In exchange, Israel would cede equivalent territory adjacent to Judea and Samaria and Gaza. The two parts of the Palestinian state would be connected via a tunnel or highway.
La carte invisible qui promettait d'apporter la paix au Moyen-Orient
— Pascal Jouary (@PascalJouary) February 24, 2025
La carte dressée par Olmert a désormais un statut quasi mythique. Diverses interprétations ont été faites au fil des ans, mais il ne l'a jamais révélée aux médias depuis 2008. pic.twitter.com/CHrKCLeCTJ
“This is the first time that I expose this map to the media,” Olmert said in the series by documentary filmmaker Norma Percy, titled “Israel and the Palestinians: The Road to 7th October.” It is available in the U.K. via BBC iPlayer.
A key element addressed Jerusalem’s complex status. Olmert proposed that both Israel and the Palestinians claim parts of the city as their capitals, while the “holy basin,” including the Old City, would be managed by a committee of trustees from Israel, “Palestine,” Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the U.S.
The plan required evacuating tens of thousands of Israelis from scattered communities across Judea and Samaria, a move that risked national upheaval similar to the 2005 Gaza disengagement but on a much larger scale.
“In the next 50 years, you will not find one Israeli leader that will propose to you what I propose to you now,” Olmert said he told Abbas during their Jerusalem meeting on Sept. 16, 2008. “Sign it! Sign it and let’s change history!”
Despite Abbas calling the proposal “very, very, very serious,” he declined to sign without consulting his experts. Olmert refused to leave a copy of the map unless Abbas signed immediately. A follow-up meeting was planned but never occurred. Abbas’s team viewed Olmert as politically weakened due to an ongoing corruption scandal and his pending resignation, diminishing the proposal’s credibility.
The situation further deteriorated with the launch of the Israel Defense Forces’ “Operation Cast Lead” in Gaza later that year, following months of rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory.
Olmert later reflected that Abbas should have signed the deal, believing it would have shifted accountability onto Israel if the agreement failed.
