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U.S. Peace Plan Forces Reality on Palestinians
(The Hill) Sander Gerber - The U.S. peace plan rejects several poison-pill demands from the Palestinians that had made any deal impossible. It takes the Palestinian "right of return" off the table, which would have demographically overwhelmed Israel with millions of Palestinians moving in from neighboring countries. It also rejects the division of Jerusalem, a politically and logistically impossible demand that Israel surrender half its capital city. The plan recognizes Israel's existential security needs. It ensures Israeli sovereignty over the strategically essential Jordan Valley and overall security control over the West Bank. It also ensures that no one will be removed from their homes. Most importantly, the plan at long last puts a price on Palestinian rejectionism. For the first time, the Palestinians will not get more as a reward for saying "no." The process no longer will be held hostage to a Palestinian political culture that insists on holding out forever until every demand is met. The writer is a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America and at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.