We breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear that Bibi Netanyahu’s had triumphed over former army chief Benny Gantz on Monday. Although both had seemed to embrace President Trump’s breakthrough “deal of the century” for Middle East peace, in reality, Gantz really stood for the same old, same old, and his victory would have diluted an epic possibility for improvement in the Middle East.
Thus, while Netanyahu vowed to move forward vigorously on extending Israeli sovereignty to West Bank settlements, Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, Gantz added the caveat that he would not proceed on the Trump plan outside of a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians or without wide-ranging international support. To be sure, adjustments to what may seem as Netanyahu maximalism might be required down the road, but at least a bold agenda will have been on the table – and the right message to the Palestinans that the train is leaving the station – will have been sent. With the Gantz approach, however, Israel compromises its expectations, willy-nilly from the outset.
Frankly, it is hard to fathom what Gantz was thinking. For one thing, is he oblivious to the treatment Israel routinely receives in the UN? What exactly can he mean by conditioning Israel’s freedom of action on an international consensus? And what exactly is in his plan that would jolt the Palestinians out of their historical recalcitrance?
The reactions of top Palestinian Authority leaders to Monday’s election results seems proof positive that they are unrealistically mired in an intractable past. Indeed, they seem oblivious to the reality that the opportunities for substantial territorial concessions from Israel that they failed to seize over the years no longer exist.
But PA President Mahmoud Abbas said he was “deeply disappointed” by Monday’s election outcome which he noted reflected broad support for the right-wing parties and a sign that Israelis favored “continuation of the occupation.” He said that while the election itself was “an internal Israeli affair,” Palestinians won’t allow the results to undermine Palestinian rights.
PA presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh said, “We only care about preserving our legitimate national rights, first and foremost Jerusalem and its holy shrines. We won’t allow anyone to liquidate our cause…[which is] achieving a just and comprehensive peace that is based on international resolutions in order to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.” (Emphasis added.)
It’s time, though, that the Palestinians accepted that the several existential Arab challenges to Israel and the continuing provocations from the Palestinians have resulted in an Israeli mind set that they cannot trust their neighbors and must cement their security going forward with ambitious and single-minded nation-building. And the Palestinians must also recognize that that today’s Israel has the political, military and economic strength to follow through.
We are not unmindful of the personal difficulties Netanyahu faces in the weeks and months to come. But, hopefully, he will be able to cobble together a workable coalition. Whether the promise of the Trump Plan is to be a reality really does depend on it.
