Both Michael Doran and Lara Friedman agree that the creation of a Palestinian State in the West Bank is unlikely to occur anytime soon, but they disagree about the reasons why. To Friedman, Washington should nevertheless actively pursue such an outcome, while to Doran the many past failures suggest that such efforts would be wasted. More importantly, Doran contends that, under current circumstances, the creation of such a state would be deleterious not only to Israel but also to the Palestinians, to Jordan, and to American interests.

Answering the question “Why am I Zionist?” Douglas Feith writes: