It seems that the JTA article you published, “Bipartisanship Fleeting On Anti-Boycott Bills” (July 26), passed through an echo chamber. The writer didn’t intentionally mislead. Rather, he likely believes the media’s storyline.
The storyline rears its head in the incorrect but widely accepted statement that the “two-state solution” has been “abandoned by the governments of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” To the contrary, however, even apart from the many profound differences between them, neither has “abandoned” a “two-state solution” but expressly recognize it as an eventual possible outcome.
Netanyahu’s policies have evolved during his two tenures as Prime Minister to place him to the “left” of the late, revered, Yitzchak Rabin, a founder of the Israeli side of Oslo. While Rabin said he would never accept a Palestinian state, that is not Netanyahu’s position. Netanyahu has always been receptive, consistent with Israel’s essential security needs. At the same time, Netanyahu is realistic and recognizes that neither the Palestinian people nor Palestinian leadership are ready to fulfill their side, namely, a Palestinian state and a Jewish state living side by side in peace. Tactically, it would be foolish to chase after a deal that the Palestinians themselves don’t presently want.
Trump, too, hasn’t abandoned a “two-state solution.” He announced early on that he would accept any solution that the two sides negotiated, including two states. This has not changed. Even with an American proposal imminent, a “two-state solution” remains on the table if that is where negotiations lead. The [Trump] Administration has clearly acknowledged that, regardless of its peace plan, ultimately the parties must directly negotiate a solution.
President of PRIMER-Connecticut (Promoting Responsibility in Middle East Reporting)
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