We\u2019re getting perilously close to closing the window on a two-state solution, because the two chief window-closers \u201d\u201d Hamas in Gaza and the fanatical Jewish settlers in the West Bank \u201d\u201d have been in the driver\u2019s seats. Hamas is busy making a two-state solution inconceivable, while the settlers have steadily worked to make it impossible.<\/p>\n
If Hamas continues to obtain and use longer- and longer-range rockets, there is no way any Israeli government can or will tolerate independent Palestinian control of the West Bank, because a rocket from there can easily close the Tel Aviv airport and shut down Israel\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
And if the Jewish settlers continue with their \u201cnatural growth\u201d\u009d to devour the West Bank, it will also be effectively off the table. No Israeli government has mustered the will to take down even the \u201cillegal,\u201d\u009d unauthorized settlements, despite promises to the U.S. to do so, so it\u2019s getting hard to see how the \u201clegal\u201d\u009d settlements will ever be removed. What is needed from Israel\u2019s Feb. 10 elections is a centrist, national unity government that can resist the blackmail of the settlers, and the rightist parties that protect them, to still implement a two-state solution.<\/p>\n
Because without a stable two-state solution, what you will have is an Israel hiding behind a high wall, defending itself from a Hamas-run failed state in Gaza, a Hezbollah-run failed state in south Lebanon and a Fatah-run failed state in Ramallah. Have a nice day.<\/p>\n
So if you believe in the necessity of a Palestinian state or you love Israel, you\u2019d better start paying attention. This is not a test. We\u2019re at a hinge of history.<\/p>\n