Naftali Bennett, the education minister, announced a “new era.” He tweeted that there was no need for a “third Palestinian state beyond Jordan and Gaza.” The Palestinians were incensed. Israel will not annex the West Bank because adding 2.5 million Palestinian citizens would undo the Jewish state. As Daniel Shapiro, the former American ambassador to Israel, told me: “A two-state solution must assure Israel’s security. But it must also pass the laugh test of a sovereign Palestinian state.” Netanyahu’s proposal does not pass the test of what Palestinians will ever accept. It suggests his interesting one-state two-state provocation will lead nowhere.

Source: New York Times February 17, 2017 09:33 UTC