Israeli Politics Israeli/Palestinian Conflict Obama Administration Peace Plans US politics

Doing the Two State Shuffle…….

Obama and Netanyahu chat about peace….

I wouldn’t jump to conclusions yet. The Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu correctly states Israel’s desire for a comprehensive peace with the Palestinians and the greater Arab world, but it would be a mistake to conclude that he views implementing a two state solution just for the sake of political expediency, like the Apologizer-In-Chief.

It might not have look like much to the untrained eye & ear, but the Israeli PM’s insistence that in order for a just and lasting peace to be achieved, Israel’s enemies are going to have to publicly admit that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state, which is not the same as just recognizing the existence of Israel.
But the whole crux to the conflict between the Arabs and the Jewish state, is the religious supremacy of Islam towards Jews, as well as the highly disfunctional (and suicidal) Palestinian regime. First of all, having a non-Muslim state in the midst of the Islamic world is an affront to Muslim thinking, which to many, such a state conflicts with the words of their prophet.
Acceptance of the Jewish state of Israel -which deserves to live in peace and in equality in the region- is a deal breaker for the majority of Israel’s principle foes, and something that will not only keep them away from the bargaining table, but from ever making a true and honest peace with any Israeli government.
But here’s another dilemma. I have always maintained the political position that, until the Palestinians are no longer a danger to themselves, they will continue to remain an existential threat to the state of Israel. If there is no development from the ground up in the building of a just and democratic society, built upon the rule of just law (based on western principles), then, even with their admission of acceptance of a Jewish state of Israel, the war will continue.
Barry Rubin’s salient points concerning the genuineness of Israel’s ”partners for peace” in a recent article viewable at the Gloria Center, goes to the heart of what ails any kind of “peace process”. What can you possibly hope to achieve, realistically, with a side that has no intention of ending the conflict, even though it signs a piece of paper. Just think of Yasser Arafat and his open commitment to ending violence once and for all and that stupid Nobel Peace prize in his hands….and what happened after that. KGS
So far, it doesn’t look like making peace will diminish that existential threat. Nor does it mean that a “two-state solution” will end the conflict either.
We’d like to make peace with Israel but if we do Iran, Syria, Hizballah, and some of our followers will kill us, say the Lebanese moderates. And any way we’ll probably be out of power soon. We don’t dare do anything.
We’re really eager to make peace with Israel, says the Palestinian Authority. It just doesn’t want to make peace with us. Our regime is too weak to make peace and any way much of the leadership is pretty hardline. The difference between Fatah and Hamas is not so much one of moderation versus radicalism (yes, there are differences on that point also) but rather whether Palestine will be nationalist or Islamist. more here.

Also worth reading is Daniel Pipes’ latest at Front Page Mag:

Obama and Netanyahu Meet: What Next?

The two-state model found acceptance among the Israeli public between the Oslo accords of 1993 and the new round of Palestinian violence in 2000. On the surface, to be sure, “two state” seems yet strong among Israelis:

Ehud Olmert enthused over the Annapolis round, Avigdor Lieberman accepts the “Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution,” and a recent Tel Aviv University poll finds “two states” still remains popular.

But many Israelis, including Netanyahu, disbelieve that Palestinians will either construct a state or abandon irredentism. Netanyahu prefers to shelve “two states” and focus instead on institution-building, economic development, and quality-of-life improvements for Palestinians. To this, the Arab states, Palestinians, European governments, and the Obama administration near-unanimously respond with vociferous hostility.

Question: Will differences over the two-state solution prompt a crisis in U.S.-Israel relations?

Read it all.

One Response

  1. When the PA allows Jews the same rights and protections that Arabs enjoy in Israel, a two-state solution can work. Until then, there’s no real sense talking about it.

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