Opinion: “In any realistic peace plan,” former ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro writes, “Palestinians will have to agree to major concessions they have not accepted before. So will Israel. But this version would place Palestinians…in an untenable position.”
President Donald Trump applauds as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during Tuesday's announcement of the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.President Donald Trump applauds as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during Tuesday's announcement of the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Daniel B. Shapiro is a visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
That always struck me as an odd definition of a mediator's role. A mediator does not need to show perfect balance, but does need to earn the parties' trust about taking their concerns seriously. At a minimum, a mediator needs to be to be able to talk with both sides. But for over two years, the U.S.-Palestinian diplomatic channel has been completely silent.The results are as you would expect.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas delivers a speech in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, following the announcement by President Trump of the Mideast peace plan.Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas delivers a speech in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, following the announcement by President Trump of the Mideast peace plan.
And the prospect of a plan that is going nowhere — whether by design or misjudgment — is pushing Israel toward unilateral actions instead, namely annexing large chunks of the West Bank. While the text suggests such unilateral annexation could be the result if the Palestinians fail to accept the plan within four years, already Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fighting for his political life in a competitive election, is signaling he may advance annexation legislation much sooner.
At that point, the question Palestinians and many others will raise is: Why not simply have one-person, one-vote in all areas Israel controls? Taking into account the over 2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who already vote in Israeli elections, that is the moment when Israel will face a dilemma with no solution: How can it remain what it has always been — a Jewish and democratic state without a solid Jewish majority? The answer: It can't.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump leaps into Middle East fray with plan that favors Israel and angers PalestiniansPresident Trump's Middle East peace plan will recognize Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, reversing official U.S. policy
Read more »
Donald Trump gives Israel the green light to annex occupied landsIf Israel annexes large parts of the West Bank, it will be all but impossible for the Palestinians to establish a viable state
Read more »
Kushner Can Solve Israel-Palestine Conflict Because He’s ‘Read 25 Books on It’That’s a lot of reading for the Trump administration, though not quite enough for his 80-page plan to make it past peer review.
Read more »
Israel headed for clash with ICC over West Bank settlementsIsrael appears to be heading for a showdown with the international community over its half-century-old settlement enterprise in the West Bank
Read more »