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.
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.
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.