Israeli PM Vows No Peace Process With Palestinians

Bennett remains opposed to two-state solution

When speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reiterated his long-standing opposition to peace with the Palestinians, saying that his government would not engage in a peace process with them no matter what happens.

Bennett has been saying he is averse to the two-state solution for years, and his coalition government is sticking with that. This was a question because left-wing parties like Meretz are in the coalition, and were probably hoping for a chance to start talks.

Bennett is not technically the first premier to disavow the two-state solution. While Israel long gave lip-service to the idea, Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to reject the idea of peace ahead of recent elections, seeing that as a way to court the far-right vote.

What this means for US-Israel relations still remains to be seen. Former President Trump was so determined to be seen as pro-Israel he went along with Netanyahu’s positions. A number of US officials, however, remain tied to the two-state solution plan, and Bennett’s absolute dismissal of that could easily be a long-term issue.

President Biden is among those who has expressed commitment to the two-state solution, and many of his supporters and politically allies in the US are similarly unhappy with Israel’s policy in the occupied territories.

Though Bennett insisted none of the world leaders he’s spoken to has brought up his stance against the peace process, it would be politically risky for Biden, for instance, not to bring this up at some point.

Bennett seems to have the process locked for now, as he shares the current premiership with Yair Lapid, who has also said he won’t approach peace talks with the Palestinians. The consequences of that internationally, and in Israel’s all-important US relationship, are yet to be realized.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.