Saturday, August 26, 2017

Maybe NOT "two states"?

An article in WSJ, 25 August 2017, by Rory Jones, suggests that the realization may be dawning that the "two state solution" may not be the way to resolve the century-old Arab rejection of the Jewish state.

From that article:

Jared Kushner Wraps Up ‘Productive’ Middle East Talks
The president’s son-in-law met with regional leaders in moves to revive peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians

Jared Kushner in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday. PHOTO: OSAMA FALAH/PPO HANDOUT/GETTY IMAGES

.... Mr. Trump has shifted from a long-held U.S. policy of supporting a two-state solution, saying he would instead support a plan on which both Israelis and Palestinians agreed.

But Palestinian officials have said they won’t join peace talks that don’t hold the possibility of an independent state. And Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition government is reluctant to enter negotiations for a Palestinian state that critics say would pose a risk to Israel’s security.

Arab states back a Saudi Arabia-led initiative that advocates the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in return offering Israel diplomatic ties with its neighbors. Mr. Kushner met this week with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who issued a statement in support of peace talks but didn’t reaffirm his country’s commitment to the proposal.

The White House said it encourages the support and engagement of Arab states in the effort to unite Israelis and Palestinians.

...The Trump administration has said supporting Palestinian statehood would bias negotiations.

Mr. Abbas again threatened to consider dissolving the Palestinian Authority—the administration that governs millions of Palestinians in the West Bank—if the U.S. is unwilling to support a two-state solution to the conflict, Palestinian media reported this week.

Palestinian officials have said maintaining the Palestinian Authority without the potential for statehood prolongs what they believe is a system of discrimination of rights between Palestinians and Israelis.

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