Published December 16, 2023
The Biden Administration still seems determined to talk about the “two-state solution,” that fantastical notion that somehow Jews and “Palestinians” can live peacefully alongside one another. Israel, on the other hand, is quietly asking the United States government to please shut up about the idea.
Israeli leaders have been privately urging the Biden administration to refrain from publicly talking about the two-state solution in the fallout of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught, four Israeli and US officials told The Times of Israel this week.
The message is not just being voiced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose resonance is more limited since Washington is convinced he has been engaged in a “politically motivated campaign” on the matter, a US official said. Other war cabinet members including Benny Gantz, President Isaac Herzog and even Opposition chairman Yair Lapid have also conveyed their discomfort with the Biden administration’s revived rhetoric regarding the need for a two-state solution since the war’s outbreak, according to two Israeli officials.
“A two-state solution after what happened on October 7 is a reward to Hamas,” said one of the Israeli officials, referencing the terror group’s shock attack, in which 1,2000 were massacred and some 240 were taken hostage in Gaza.
It’s belaboring the obvious to point out that a two-state solution was, effectively, what was in place before October 7th. Israel has already given in to the demands of “land for peace,” exchanging not only Gaza but also the West Bank for that peace that failed to materialize.
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SOURCE: www.redstate.com
RELATED: Israel urging US not to talk publicly about two-state solution — officials
Request not just being made by PM, but Herzog, Gantz and Lapid as well, who argue that framework has no support post Oct. 7; US official says Washington in no position to heed call
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second right, confers with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, right, during their meeting with US President Joe Biden, left, to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Pool Photo via AP)
Published December 15, 2023
WASHINGTON — Israeli leaders have been privately urging the Biden administration to refrain from publicly talking about the two-state solution in the fallout of Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught, four Israeli and US officials told The Times of Israel this week.
The message is not just being voiced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose resonance is more limited since Washington is convinced he has been engaged in a “politically motivated campaign” on the matter, a US official said. Other war cabinet members including Benny Gantz, President Isaac Herzog and even Opposition chairman Yair Lapid have also conveyed their discomfort with the Biden administration’s revived rhetoric regarding the need for a two-state solution since the war’s outbreak, according to two Israeli officials.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
RELATED:Can a Two-State Solution Survive the Israel-Hamas Conflict?
FILE – An Israeli flag is planted in front of Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, July 7, 2004.
Published December 15, 2023
WASHINGTON —
For three decades, the West and the international community saw the idea of two states — one Israeli, one Palestinian — as the basis for peace in the Middle East. Even after Hamas’ October 7 massacre and Israel’s overwhelming counter-offensive, many believe it remains the only path forward.
More than 1,200 people were killed and 242 abducted in the attack on Israel by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Israel’s military response has claimed more than 11,000 lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Yet political scientist Uriel Abulof of Tel Aviv University believes the massive loss of life on both sides has not made peace impossible.
“A two-state solution is still possible, perhaps more than before, because there is a potential for both sides to understand that this is not a conflict between the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, [both of whom] want to live in coexistence, without radical leaders,” he said.
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SOURCE: www.voanews.com
