Israel obviously cannot be asked to negotiate with a government that is backed by the Palestinian version of al Qaeda. Once upon a time such unequivocality opposite the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have triggered a serious debate among the parties in Israel. Just as the Green Line separated Israel from the West Bank, the approach to the conflict separated right from left on Israel's political spectrum. The left was more willing to engage in negotiations and make concessions in a peace process, while the right took a more hardline approach. Critics accused Netanyahu of desperate electioneering in the face of a projected tight finish on Tuesday, but the switch in the discourse -- from peace process to annexation -- shows how far Israeli politics has moved in the last few decades.

Source: CNN April 06, 2019 23:37 UTC