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When Will the Palestinians Return to Negotiations?
(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed Monday what he said in 2009 at Bar-Ilan University where he formally embraced the concept of two states for two peoples. Since then he has constantly asked PA head Abbas to come back to the negotiating table that he fled in 2008 when then-Prime Minister Olmert offered him an independent state including nearly all of the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. But despite repeated Israeli offers of a state, the Palestinians continue to refuse to talk. The PA didn't have to go to the UN to get their state. Nor do they require American or European pressure on Israel to achieve their goal of independence. They need only be willing to give up on the dream of replacing Israel with a Palestinian state instead of having one alongside it. Their failure to do so is why most Israelis have lost interest in the peace process. Nor has it escaped their notice that the independent Palestinian state in all but name that currently exists in Gaza is a launching pad for terror attacks on Israel.