Little more than a week from now, after the Jewish holiday of Passover ends, an interesting interaction will unfold between Israelis and Palestinians — at least that’s what the two sides are planning at this moment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will host Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Netanyahu’s Jerusalem office. Fayyad will hand the Israeli leader a letter from PA President Mahmoud Abbas in which he will blame Israel for the lack of peace negotiations and spell out four Palestinian conditions to restart talks.
Then, Netanyahu will respond with a letter of his own, reiterating that Israel is ready to restart negotiations immediately without any preconditions.
The letters, which break no new ground, are essentially an effort to blame the other side for the stalemate. But there are a few significant developments worth noting; small handles to grasp for those who refuse to give up hope.
Essentially, the two leaders are summarizing what the two sides have been saying for a couple of years. Palestinians will not talk unless Israel stops all construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and agrees to negotiations based on the 1967 borders.
Netanyahu says let’s talk now and put everything on the table, including the settlements.
Nothing new, you say. But consider this:
A few days ago, Netanyahu gave a rare press conference in which he said something we had not heard from him before.
The prime minister had already said years ago that he supported the creation of a Palestinian state. But skeptics didn’t believe his sincerity. This time, Netanyahu explained his reasoning with an argument many people have made before — demographics.
Today, Jews make up 80 percent of the population of Israel, the only Jewish-majority country in the world. If Israel formally annexed the West Bank and Gaza, it would quickly lose that majority. “For as long as it depends on me,” Netanyahu said, “we will ensure the Jewish and democratic character of Israel.” That cannot be achieved without two states. Netanyahu sounds like he has internalized at least one important reason for a two-state solution.
Another hopeful sign came from new Gallup poll numbers, showing that significant majorities among Israelis and Palestinians support the peace process. That popular push for peace may be one of the reasons why each side blames the other for the stagnanation.
Majorities on both sides told Gallup in interviews conducted late last year that relations are bad and getting worse, and yet two-thirds of both Israelis and Palestinians say they support the peace process.
That is a number that has remained fairly constant over the years. Throughout the wars, the terrorism and the rockets, most people say they want peace, and say they prefer non-violent means to achieve it.
The polls, however, hide an ugly fact.
In 2010, pollsters from Greenberg Quinlan asked Palestinians about their views on peace. As is common, more than 60 percent favored negotiations with Israel and a two-state solution.
They asked if they believe “Israel will exist 25 years from now as a Jewish state with a Jewish majority.” Only 38 percent said yes. The next question: Does Israel have a permanent right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people? Just 23 percent agreed. And then, the most troubling question. Should the real goal be “to start with two states and then move to it all being one Palestinian state”? Fully 60 percent said yes, that should be the real goal.
Some will argue that this sentiment, hidden so often from pollsters and from the public in the West, is reason to avoid pursuing a two-state solution. I think it’s a reason to insist that security remain a fundamental part of any agreement.
Each side has its own reasons for deciding a two-state solution is in the best interest of their cause. Even if many Palestinians believe it’s a good idea only as a stepping stone to some other, less peace-embracing goal, it is still worth pursuing. Sentiments can change after peace is achieved, and peace can bring benefits even if sentiments don’t change.
Under the pretense of exchanging letters, Israeli and Palestinian officials will hold a meeting. There’s even talk that Abbas could meet directly with Netanyahu. That in itself is a silver lining.
The majority of Israelis and Palestinians are right to believe the situation has deteriorated, but they are also right in believing their leaders must work to bring a two-state solution.
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