The US has made a long-standing point of reiterating its support for the two-state solution in the Middle East, to the point that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s disavowal of the policy during the last election was seen as a huge threat to US-Israel relations, and one which required multiple comments on both sides.
Netanyahu is set to visit President Trump tomorrow, and on the eve of that meeting White House officials are hinting at a huge policy shift, with one official saying that they “won’t insist” on the idea of a two-state solution in the Middle East in the future.
Administration officials haven’t issued a statement on this as a matter of formal policy, but the fact that a White House official is telling the press that the US goal is peace as a general notion, and that they are no longer insisting on an independent Palestinian state as part of that peace, is huge in and of itself.
Israel is likely to tread carefully on this suggestion at first, since it isn’t a formal policy statement yet, but members of the nation’s far-right government who believe Trump is going to allow them wholesale annexation of Palestinian lands for Jewish settlements may be expected to start agitating for new Israeli government policies based on the assumption that the comment represents the end of US interest in the peace process.
When will the media recognize the truth, the Israeli lobby in the U.S. will corrupt the political process to allow Israel to do whatever it wants regardless of what the effete and corrupted U.S. politicians (and compromised President) want.
The Settlers should be careful what they wish for. If the fantasy of a two-state solution is finally consigned to the trash heap of history, the status of the Palestinians will finally have to be addressed. Are they to be permanent helots? What state do they belong to? Will they have Israeli passports? Will they vote (of course not).
What do the settlers propose to do with five million Palestinians?
Can Israel continue to be a member of the club of civilized countries if it now, finally, openly defies a core value of Western civilization: equality under the law? All men are created equal?
Seems unlikely.
The answers the settlers give will be fascinating.
Spot on!
Recognizing the conundrum asking such a question raises, I doubt seriously that anyone of any import ever asks that question of the settlers – or any Israeli official – or any US official for that matter.
The squatters need to go home and let Palestine freedom progress.
Israel is not going to be successful in stealing land in Palestine, this will continue for generations, ultimately democratic principles with be implemented..
One of the anti-trump neocon warmongers on Fox yesterday said this was a test for Trump. Meaning of course, giving Nettie everything he wants.
Time for the Palestinians to start campaigning for equal citizenship of Israel instead then.