March 18, 2019
By Shira Tarlo
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., (click here) whose statements prompted allegations of anti-Semitism by lawmakers on both sides of the aisles, called for a "balance, inclusive approach" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new op-ed published Sunday in The Washington Post.
"My goal in speaking out at all times has been to encourage both sides to move toward a peaceful two-state solution," the freshman congresswoman wrote. "We need to reinsert this call back into the public debate with urgency. Both parties must come to the table for a final peace deal; violence will not bring us any closer to that day."...
The resolve to bring about a two state solution has been all but abandoned by every measure currently. Recently, Former President Carter indicated the return to a two state solution is nearly impossible with current Israeli and Palestine leadership.
5 March 2019
By Michael Bachner
Former US president Jimmy Carter (click here) said he doesn’t think Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible as long as Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister, since Netanyahu isn’t interested in peace.
The 94-year-old, who is currently on a trip to Israel marking 40 years since the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace accord he brokered, said he’s “not sure” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants an agreement either.
The comments were made in an interview with Israeli journalist Tali Lipkin Shahak, which will be screened next week at a conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Excerpts from it were aired Monday on Channel 12.
“I don’t see any way to make peace with Netanyahu as prime minister, I don’t think he wants peace. And I’m not sure that Abu Mazen does either right now,” Carter said, referring to Abbas by his popular nickname....
The Congresswoman may want to meet with the former President and quite possibly travel to Israel and meet with Palestinian leaders as well, if it can be done safely. If she is to renew hope for a two state solution she has to actively pursue it. Former President Carter was the only administration of the USA that was even able to achieve such agreements. She should become familiar with the dynamics of the Carter White House to understand how it happened and if it can happen again.
An interesting fact about the potential for Middle East Peace, including that of Palestine and Israel. Ariel Sharon was the last generation of Iraeli leaders that knew life without an Israeli homeland. He also didn't hesitate to criticize practices of the Israeli government. He earned respect as well as love from the country he lead. He would come to a peace agreement that would return Gaza to the Palestinians and removed settlements. There has not been an agreement since that time.
...But following the 1973 war, (click here) Sharon also broke the taboo on criticizing the army and the Labor establishment when he denounced the conduct of the early days of the conflict as a disgrace that needlessly sacrificed lives and equipment. Others such as Rabin—with whom Sharon maintained a fraught but lasting friendship—emerged relatively unscathed from the war’s failures, but Sharon was nearly alone in becoming an object of adoration. For a moment, he was almost universally loved....
None of the peace agreements have lasted, but, the Middle East today is different than the past, yet, Former President Carter still believes a two state solution is still possible and necessary.
The two state solution is not as popular as it used to be. However, it is rarely discussed in modern times. There is this though:
January 25, 2018
By Adam Rasgon
...The proposed peace deal (click here) would include a demilitarized Palestinian state; an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 lines with territorial swaps; repatriation of 100,000 Palestinian refugees in Israel as a part of family reunification; west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and east Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital; and the Old City’s Jewish Quarter and Western Wall under Israeli sovereignty, and Muslim and Christian quarters and the Temple Mount under Palestinian sovereignty.
While support for the proposed deal is relatively low among both Israelis and Palestinians, when the pollsters offered additional incentives, that support substantially increased....
it has been some time since real peace initiatives were successful. For that reason, it is my guess that if the Congresswoman were able to bring about constructive dialogue with the Israeli people and the Palestine people, much could be resolved.
I think the people remain disillusioned and disappointed. Israel would have to end the settlement activism that is based in occupying land. The settlements creates the understanding that no matter what peace talks are engaged, they never adequately provide value to the understanding the land belongs to the Palestinians as a homeland and not a token of peaceful gesture. It makes any peace plan tenuous from the start to think land is a fluid commodity based in good or bad behavior.
Currently, Prime Minister Netanyahu has brought about an Iron Dome that protects much of Israel's citizens. That is an accomplishment that should be an incentive to a peace plan. Yet, it doesn't.
