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.
Zzzzzzzz.
Shocker!
The more things change, the more they stay the same… peace chic
To strike a parallel – “King George has rejected any notions of American colony independence” – the only path left is Rebellion.
Yes, it is now all one nation, and the Palestinians are at the beginning of their civil rights movement. When they finally win, they will be the majority.
Good going Bennett, you and your fellow travelers have destroyed everything you hoped to build.
Hi Mark:
You are an optimist! best-peace chic
The history and intensity of the persecution of Jews makes me a strong supporter of a Jewish-majority sovereign nation-state. Jews need and deserve a country of their own in which to thrive. There were better places than Palestine, notwithstanding the historical connection, but Israel is where it is. As the birthrate of Israeli Jews, even when zealous settler-colonists are factored in, is too low to ever compete with Palestinian Arabs, the only way to ensure a Jewish majority is the two-state solution. The only way to reach a two state solution is for the Israeli military to lift the siege of Gaza and withdraw from the West Bank, evacuating every settlement as they leave. This will allow for a referendum on Palestinian statehood based on the Green Line. I would hope this incredible opportunity would allow for a yes vote to prevail despite the history of injustice. As I have stated many times, Hamas has publicly endorsed such a move. Regionally, it would be difficult for Iran to ignore the fair settlement that had just been achieved. They have offered to recognize Israel before, in the lead up to the Iraq War. Pair the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with an actual fair nuclear deal and sanction relief, the people of Iran will accept nothing less than normalization, however gradual that may be.
But hey, at least Israeli extremists are being honest that they have no interest in justice or peace.
Excellent post. The opportunity to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal of settlers and troops to the Green Line is still there if the Israelis will only take it.
The evacuation to the Green Line involves surrender of the Old City of Jerusalem. That is simply unacceptable. It is also unacceptable to the Palestinians to give up their concept of “From the Jordan to the Sea”. Aint gonna happen.
The Green Line (the 1949 Armistice Line) is irrelevant anyway. The UN set Israel’s borders in 1947 in UNR 181. Those are its only legally defensible borders (absent negotiation of different ones with the state of Palestine) if it wants to play the Westphalian Model nation-state game.
If it doesn’t want to play that game, fine — but in addition to not being bound by that game’s rules, not playing should also entail sacrificing that game’s benefits.
Israel is supposed to be a secular state. Why would sovereignty over religious sites be a dealbreaker? Do you realize that this makes the conflict intractable? Given the importance of Jerusalem to the three Abrahamic faiths, I see only the international administration of Jerusalem to be a fair deal if Jerusalem is not to be split.
I think any evacuation of the settlements would be extremely violent. They are most zealous, these colonists. It’s been done before on a smaller scale, but the IDF is more than capable of carrying out such an operation. Alternatively, but even more far-fetched than the peace plan outlined above, would be for the settlers to accept that they are under a sovereign Palestinian State. Fat chance, and so they would need to be dragged kicking and screaming back across the Green Line where they belong.
This seems to be an ongoing pipe dream that simply will never be accomplished. If both sides were in similar situations there would be reason for a settlement. The status quo is much better than a two-state solution for one of the sides. The history of persecution seems to play a factor actually.
Well, like I said, Israeli birthrates cannot compete with Arab birthrates. They are dooming themselves.
To Israel’s PM and his supporters: Yawn………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Time to stop funding these people if they refuse to abide by UN resolutions on human rights.
Bye-Done hasn’t committed to squat. The last president to actually withhold funds from Israhell was George H W Bush.
Bye-Done is a Zio from way back, no better than Trump.
One CANNOT be supportive of the Palestinian right to their own nation without withdrawing “aid” to Israhell. Will Bye-Done do so? Oh wait, I just saw a pig fly by.