The Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is at the core of why a negotiated settlement between the two sides is all but dead, experts on both sides of the divide say.
Public sentiment and the positions of political leaders of the Israelis and the Palestinians indicate that neither side will bend on the issue that Israel says is critical, which means peace talks pursued by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had little chance of working from the start.
"After 65 years of Arab rejection and warfare, closure for Israelis can come in the form of acceptance of the legitimacy of the Jewish state, in Palestinian renunciation of refugee claims, or perhaps simply a statement that this is the end of the conflict," said Gerald Steinberg of Bar Ilan University.
Israel has in the past offered compromises on hurdles such as settlements on disputed land. But the refusal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to concede that Israel is a Jewish state is a deal-breaker, Steinberg said.
That refusal means Israel has no confidence that a Palestinian state on its border would end the decades-long attempt by Arab nations to destroy it, so there is no reason to agree to a two-state solution, he said.
Israelis worry that "an agreement will be signed, Israel will give up territory, and the wars, terrorism will continue," Steinberg said.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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