(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - The reason why a clear majority of Israelis supported Netanyahu and parties likely to back him was that few of them believe there is any reasonable hope for a two-state solution in the foreseeable future. They were convinced of the danger of further territorial concessions by the actions of the Palestinians and the culture of hatred for Israel and Jews that pervades their society. The president treats the repeated rejections of Israeli offers of statehood by the Palestinians and the support for terrorism even by the supposedly moderate leaders of the PA as irrelevant. Israelis do not. Nor are they interested in replicating what happened in Gaza after Israel's 2005 withdrawal in the more strategic West Bank. That's an opinion shared even by many of those who supported Netanyahu's opponents. Until a sea change in Palestinian politics occurs that will allow its leaders to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state no matter where its borders are drawn, Israelis will reject two states in practice rather than in principle and no amount of White House bullying will change that.
2015-03-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive