Author: Ilan Goldenberg
Affiliation: Center for a New American Security
Organization/Publisher: Foreign Affairs
Date/Place: June 21, 2021/USA
Type of Literature: Article
Word Count: 2850
Keywords: Identity, America, White Americans
Brief:
In this article, the writer talks about where the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has reached and what the Biden administration should do to ensure that things stop deteriorating to prevent any possible escalation in the future between Hamas and Israel. The writer believes that after the overthrow of Netanyahu and the arrival of Governor Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid, Biden has an opportunity to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution. In the author’s opinion, the US should have experienced diplomats on the ground who can sound the alarm before any escalation occurs between the two parties. Today, unconditional support for Israel has undoubtedly become unacceptable. The killing of Palestinian civilians and children cannot be ignored. The Democratic Party is more sympathetic to Palestinian rights and is pressuring to recognize the Palestinian perspective, as many progressives see the similarities between the Palestinian cause and the challenges facing minorities in the US. On the other hand, for the Palestinians, establishing a state of their own seems like a distant dream. So instead, they focus on keeping their homes and winning or maintaining fundamental rights. In the writer’s opinion, the solution begins through the opening of the American Consulate in Jerusalem to communicate with the Palestinians. The Israelis should not link the issue of reconstruction in Gaza to the case of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The lives of 2.2 million people cannot be held hostage to this issue, as collective punishment blatantly violates international laws. US officials should also reach out to the Arab citizens of Israel, who are represented for the first time by an Arab party –the United Arab List –in a coalition government. On the Palestinian side of the conflict, the US and its partners should encourage Fatah and Hamas to pursue power-sharing arrangements to break the current stalemate. It would not guarantee a two-state solution but would put the conflict on a better path while preserving the possibility of a just peace at some point in the future.
By: Taqwa Abu Kmeil, CIGA Research Assistant
