And pigs might fly.

Yeah, because that worked so well in the 70 years prior to Trump.

I like our own Prime Minister believe in miracles.

Israel relies so much on Us support and money.
Hopefully President Biden will be able to maintain
a strong stance for a two state solution. Everything
else has been tried - this is worth doing.

Israel has to be realistic. Things cannot continue as
they have to date. They can't expect to continue to do the
same thing over and over again and expect different results.
That as Einstein
said- is the definition of insanity.

I agree with the author's argument: "Given the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the ingrained mutual hatred, distrust, and hostility, and the growing loss of confidence that peace is attainable, the Biden administration must insist that both parties engage in a process of government-to-government and people-to-people reconciliation. Such a process would certainly mitigate distrust, reduce the level of hostility, and open the door for growing cooperation."
I think that this is an opportunity not to be missed and I am sure that Biden's government has the capability and diplomacy to see this through to a successful end.

Considering that Trump stopped the funding to the Palestinians because most of it was being diverted to officials pockets or to purchasing weapons, restoring this funding is hardly going to improve the peace process.

Struth shadowminister, did you really write that without blushing?

"Considering that Trump stopped the funding to the Palestinians because most of it was being diverted to officials pockets or to purchasing weapons, restoring this funding is hardly going to improve the peace process."

Where do you thing most of the funds from the US go to when they are piped off to Israel, particularly given the high levels of corruption before the courts at the moment including that of Israel's former PM?

All Arab parties are determined that there will be no Jews between
the River and the Sea as they put it.
None of them will back down first or ever.
The Koran tells them that land once occupied by moslems remains moslem land forever.
They cannot change the Koran so they cannot compromise.
To do so leaves them open to the death penalty.
All that is why there has been no settlement since the Ottoman defeat.

Foxy says "Israel has to be realistic. Things cannot continue as
they have to date."
And why not? They have been stringing out the "two state solution" for decades whilst taking control of more and more of the Palestinian territories. Why would they change course? it is the Palestinians who need to change strategy if they want an independent state. If anyone is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results its the Palestinians. Maybe insane. Maybe just slow learners.

He just may? Given the Emporer of the world has been removed from office and can no longer run a moving interference, with that worthy goal!?
Alan B.

Even more so if all future aid etc to either party, was tied inexplicably to just that outcome! Or lockdown all donor bank accounts or money transfers! Give them a reason they just cannot refuse and then let the chips fall where they may! Money talks all languages!
Alan B.

The author is chasing a ghost.

There once used to be an Arab-Israeli conflict.
The sides were more or less equal, so nobody could predict the outcome of wars.
But that is over, now Israel is by far the stronger and the remaining "Palestinians" are no match, they have no power whatsoever because Israel is neither afraid of them nor needs anything from them - they can be likened to a possum in Israel's backyard: if you pick it up to throw it over the fence then it will scratch, so you better wear gloves, but it is no match for a human. Israel got used to their low-grade terror and accepts it as part of the weather, no big deal.

Yet the "conflict" continues to rage only because it became an internal political conflict within Israel. One camp, the Israeli "Right" wants to kick the possum out, some even to kill it, while the other camp, the Israeli "Left", prefers to keep it as pet. Israelis of both camps do not even hate Palestinians, because only the strong can be hated, thus the prospect of "reconciliation" is also laughable. Even the bad-behaviour towards Palestinians is done as a tool by the "Right" to hurt the "Left", who suffers when their pet-to-be is beaten.

Thus this imaginary conflict, should anyone care to "solve" it, can only be ended by addressing the real conflict, within Israel. The "Palestinians" are not a side to it and it would be a mistake to try to involve them. It is also idiotic to use the term "the Israelis" (as in "it provides the Biden administration the opportunity to send a clear message to the Israelis") because there is no such thing, just two bitterly opposing camps!

What recently happened in Israel is an unprecedented cease-fire:
51% of Israelis, in both camps, decided that there are more urgent issues to deal with than this 54-year-old internal conflict: the economy, COVID, the failing health system, etc. and most importantly, this corrupt prime-minister who left a scorched-land behind in his struggle to stay out of jail.

Biden will do no such thing ! He'll simply get back on the former track to self-destruction of the West.
Westerners of all races are the real danger to our world.

Hi Rhys-Jones,

The Palestinians can't do much without the full
support of the US. And the US can put pressure
on Israel. President Biden can do that.
For Palestinians to go opposite a military force
like Israel on their own won't achieve very much
as we've already seen.

Dear Rhys Jones,

If I may add to Foxy's previous post, you wrote:

«it is the Palestinians who need to change strategy if they want an independent state.»

But that's a big IF: they don't!

Had they really wanted it, then they could get their own state decades ago, on 97% of their land plus 3% land-compensation from Israeli territory, plus financial compensation to refugees, etc. etc. All this was available under Ehud Barak's leadership.

The Palestinian leadership is happy with how things are, they speak of a change but they don't want one, the existing situation keeps these nobody's in power which they could not hold in a normal independent state.

Historically, the people of the West Bank wanted to become part of Greater Syria while the people of Gaza wanted to be an integral part of Egypt. If you ask the ordinary Palestinian in the street, anonymously, about their dream situation, then they would now rather live under Israel and become Israeli citizens.
(but then, at present neither Israel, Syria or Egypt would accept them, not with their terrorist history and experience, perhaps Lebanon would because they are so broken and have nothing to lose)

Hi Foxy, I am certainly not suggesting the Palestinians take a military approach. That is the path they have taken so far and the results are obvious. Rockets and bombs have only given the Israelis more credibility on the world stage. A pacifist approach might work. Negotiations would be a good start.
Yuyustsu - I think you have nailed it!

Dear Rhys Jones,

I take a different view.

It is patently evident that it was military actions by the Gazans which have seen Gaza retained as a contiguous parcel of land.

The acquiescence by Fatah and other West Bank leaders has seen the West Bank illegally settled and carved up in a continuous erosion of Palestinian land.

Appeasement has not worked and the aspirations of a viable Palestinian homeland have evaporated as a result.

SR,

You should be ashamed. Comparing corruption in Israel to that in Gaza is comparing a molehill to a mountain. Again with the antisemitism.

Secondly, Fatah did not at any point acquiesce to the building of settlements any more than Hamas acquiesced to a large strip of Gaza being a no go DMZ.

The actions of you Hamas heroes has been to create misery for all Gazans.

shadowminister,

Vomiting out the antisemitic slur yet again. It is only second behind your preoccupation with child sexual abuse. Both may well speak to inner torments but who really knows.

However leaving that aside your obviously don't know acquiescence means "the reluctant acceptance of something without protest" which perfectly fits Fatah's approach.

Of course elements of Fatah are corrupt however that is far less obvious with Hammas. Indeed there have been repeated evidence of good governance of aid monies.

SR,

I have an intense dislike of racism/antisemitism, paedophilia and those who support and protect them. The left whingers apparently have no problems with those in their ranks.

I am fully aware of what acquiescence means. The evacuation from Gaza occurred as part of the peace accord negotiated by Fatah, and violence from Hamas has not gained the Palestinians one inch, in fact, the DMZ exclusion zone has been extended into Gazan territory. The Hamas corruption is blatant and the living standards under Hamas has plumeted.

Tired of the Woke Dings ?

https://retalk.com/c/retalk/brolnd-1620554803

shadowminister,

You are infatuated with the topics of child abuse and antiSemticism and your repetition of them is telling of quite deep personal issues.

Don't worry we all have issues of some stripe.

Israel did not leave Gaza because of a peace plan. The Israelis knew the price they would have to exert to keep it would not be acceptable to the rest of the world.

But further than that they calculated it would delay any discussion of a two state solution which it plainly did.

"The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process, and when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress. That is exactly what happened. You know, the term `peace process' is a bundle of concepts and commitments. The peace process is the establishment of a Palestinian state with all the security risks that entails. The peace process is the evacuation of settlements, it's the return of refugees, it's the partition of Jerusalem. And all that has now been frozen.... what I effectively agreed to with the Americans was that part of the settlements would not be dealt with at all, and the rest will not be dealt with until the Palestinians turn into Finns. That is the significance of what we did."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's senior adviser, Dov Weissglass

Sharon himself said: "Twenty-three years ago, Moshe Dayan proposed unilateral autonomy. On the same wavelength, we may have to espouse unilateral separation... [it] would inevitably preclude a dialogue with the Palestinians for at least 25 years."

Wikipedia

Dear SteeleRedux,

I do not claim to know the exact reason(s) for Israel's disengagement from Gaza, but earlier you wrote:

«It is patently evident that it was military actions by the Gazans which have seen Gaza retained as a contiguous parcel of land.

The acquiescence by Fatah and other West Bank leaders has seen the West Bank illegally settled and carved up in a continuous erosion of Palestinian land.»

And now you admit:

«Israel did not leave Gaza because of a peace plan. The Israelis knew the price they would have to exert to keep it would not be acceptable to the rest of the world.»

In other words, that it had nothing to do with fear of Hamas' military might, rockets, bombs, tunnels, etc. as you stated earlier, but that it was in fact a political decision (right or wrong, it doesn't matter).

Thanks. Israel is not and never was afraid of that little Gaza possum.
Nothing in the West Bank can threaten Israel either.
Militarily, both are just a minor nuisance which Israel could quash in an hour with its military brass-band, had it not been concerned for the diplomatic consequences.

SR,

Gaza was evacuated as part of the peace process at the end of which Israel offered Fatah a version of a 2 state solution that did not include East Jerusalem, but a lot more than they have now which was rejected.

The opinion of an advisor is not representative of the entire Israeli negotiating team. Fatah was offered most of what they wanted, but demanded everything and got nearly nothing.