Two-state out the window?
The State Department’s “commitment” to the two-state solution, after President Trump’s “out of the box” thinking a day earlier of course, betrayed an air of damage control after instant outcry from not just the Palestinians, but also the UN and some influential pockets in Europe. But strange that mainland Europe and the UN would suddenly stand up so passionately for the Arabs. They know just as well as the Arabs and the Israelis, after all, that the two-state, at least for the foreseeable future, is a dead end. And, yes, Trump mentioned something about going slow on the settlements, but not a word about acre upon acre of Palestinian land that Netanyahu has stolen, for just those settlements, on Trump’s election win euphoria.
Considering the uncertainty surrounding almost all things Middle East at the moment, especially in the wake of the unpredictable nature of the new White House so far, most sides other than Israel are most likely to push for an extension, of sorts, of the status quo. The UN will resist Trump’s eccentricities, Europe will follow suit, the Muslim world will find nothing better, and the Palestinians will, once again, have to feel good about salvaging even less than they have now.
