President Trump abandoned long-standing US support for a two-state solution in the Middle East today, insisting he’s totally comfortable with a one-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sort of hesitated on any solution at all, insisting he doesn’t want a one-state solution that absorbs 2.5 million presently-occupied Palestinians, but also would never accept a two-state solution that didn’t involve full Israel security control over Palestine.
Things are looking pretty dark for the two-state solution at this point, though Palestinian officials were quick to inform President Trump that they still want one, which is potentially significant since Trump couched his comfort with the one-state solution on the idea that he was fine with whatever Israel and the Palestinians decide.
Of course, this all underscores the long-standing obstacle to a peace deal, that Netanyahu is uncomfortable with any endgame that results in the Palestinians acquiring either equal rights or actual autonomy, effectively making his “solution” the continuation of the status quo.
That the Trump Administration is interested at all in what the Palestinians say may prove significant, and the fact that CIA Director Mike Pompeo met with President Abbas on the eve of the Trump-Netanyahu conference suggests that they might actually be taking the Palestinians into consideration, as opposed to just vaguely lamenting the lack of peace.
But the Palestinians refuse to negotiate with Israel.