Initiatives to Jumpstart the Israeli-Palestinian Political Process: Chances of Success in the Current Period | iNSS

If President Obama has already decided to enter the pages of history as the US president who initiated the Security Council decision regarding an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, it is doubtful whether anything will change his mind on this point. If the issue is still under deliberation, however, it would be appropriate for Israel to advance a political initiative revolving around a number of practical measures. Among the possible components of an Israeli initiative: willingness to engage in future talks on an agreement based on 1967 borders, taking into consideration security and demographic realities as well as the viability of a Palestinian state; US support for the Israeli demand that one outcome of negotiations be official Palestinian recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people; willingness within future negotiations to consider political solutions regarding the future of Jerusalem that are consistent with the Jewish people’s link and attachment to the city; and other ideas, as described in the article. Even if it does not place an initiative on the agenda, and certainly if it adopts one or parts of it, Israel should request that the United States not surprise it with a political initiative that has existential implications for Israel.