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Source: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-the-upshot-of-abbas-fiery-speech-1.5750016
The Key Core Issue: Preventing Rockets on Tel Aviv from the West Bank
(Ha'aretz) Moshe Arens - It has become clear that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives. There is no substitute for that. Not Abbas' call for mediation by the EU nor his reliance on the anti-Israel majority in the UN. The major stumbling block to an agreement, the issue for which there seems to be no solution in sight, is making sure that any Israel military withdrawal will not result in rockets being launched against Israel's population centers from areas that are turned over to the Palestinians. Israel cannot allow a repetition of what happened after the withdrawal from Gaza. There is little support in Israel for the view that it is better to have rockets on Tel Aviv than a continuation of Israeli military control over Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Those who support that position in the world are not particularly concerned for the security of Israel's citizens. Until such time as this issue is laid to rest, there will be no meaningful progress. The writer served as Israel's Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs.