Labor’s Temporary Rejection of the Two-State Solution

Jan. 22 2016

Isaac Herzog, leader of Israel’s Labor party, recently declared in an interview that he sees the creation of a Palestinian state as desirable in the long run but impossible under current conditions. Were he to become prime minister, Herzog explained, he would focus on short-term measures to improve Israeli security and Palestinian quality of life. Jonathan Tobin notes the implications of this dramatic shift, especially for U.S.-Israeli relations:

Unlike Americans who simply ignore any evidence about the conflict that doesn’t validate their preexisting assumptions, Israelis are aware that their so-called peace partners are both inciting and applauding the most gruesome acts of terrorism. Moreover, they have noticed that Palestinians don’t seem to draw any distinction between Jews sitting in a Tel Aviv café and those living in a West Bank settlement. For them, all are ripe targets for murder, and those who commit such atrocities are considered heroes.

This is an important point American Jewish left-wingers who pose as experts about Israel steadfastly refuse to acknowledge. It also illustrates how pointless the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure Israel have been. . . . No one should expect these facts to influence Israel’s critics. But they ought to have some impact on those vying for the presidency in both parties. The next president’s task will be to repair the “daylight” damage Obama has done. But he or she should also be willing to tell the world that there will be no more talk of two states until the Palestinians give up their dreams of Israel’s destruction and cease terrorism.

Read more at Commentary

More about: Isaac Herzog, Israel & Zionism, Israeli politics, Labor Party, Two-State Solution

What Iran Seeks to Get from Cease-Fire Negotiations

June 20 2025

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.

Read more at Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs

More about: Iran, Israeli Security, U.S. Foreign policy