In the 50 years since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the prospects of a “final status” agreement have never looked bleaker. With growing distrust in the Palestinian leadership, it’s time to reconsider the path forward, by making civil liberties a precursor to, rather than the result of, an independent state.
AMMAN – In the 50 years that have elapsed since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the prospects of a “final status” agreement to end the conflict have never looked bleaker. Decades of failed negotiations have left Palestinians with sharply diminished expectations of ever having a state of their own, as well as a deep lack of faith in their leadership and institutions.
While a two-state solution has long been the objective for a negotiated settlement, it is time to acknowledge that, two decades after the failure of the Oslo Accords, the current pathway to statehood is blocked. A course correction is long overdue.
The Israeli government is not interested in changing the status quo; its strategy of continued settlement expansion carries minimal diplomatic, economic, and security costs. Israel is not being pressured to negotiate in good faith, and it sees no benefit to making concessions, especially as most of the world remains silent on the Palestinians’ plight.
AMMAN – In the 50 years that have elapsed since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the prospects of a “final status” agreement to end the conflict have never looked bleaker. Decades of failed negotiations have left Palestinians with sharply diminished expectations of ever having a state of their own, as well as a deep lack of faith in their leadership and institutions.
While a two-state solution has long been the objective for a negotiated settlement, it is time to acknowledge that, two decades after the failure of the Oslo Accords, the current pathway to statehood is blocked. A course correction is long overdue.
The Israeli government is not interested in changing the status quo; its strategy of continued settlement expansion carries minimal diplomatic, economic, and security costs. Israel is not being pressured to negotiate in good faith, and it sees no benefit to making concessions, especially as most of the world remains silent on the Palestinians’ plight.