The West Bank

The West Bank

Without an Israeli extension of the building freeze at the West Bank, Palestinian compromise was somewhere between improbable and impossible. This was understood- or said to be understood- by pretty much everyone involved in peace talks early this month. And yet, the Israeli government did not continue the freeze. As American leaders attempt to compromise with the nations' leaders, construction is already underway on the West Bank.

General optimism for the talks was minimal, to be fair. But this new development doesn't necessarily destroy the proceedings. While a complete solution being reached during this next round of talks is unlikely, some progress is better than none. The US special envoy to the Middle East has already begun to restart talks with Israel to continue the freeze, at least until some compromise is reached by the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
And progress is still completely possible. The Obama Administration's new focus on Israel, combined with the newfound willingness of both parties to meet is conducive to some progress at least. The two-state solution, the plan most commonly discussed in connection to the conflict, has its supporters. In the plan, an independent state of Palestine would be created to coexist with a Jewish state of Israel. While this may be the most popular plan for the people- Palestinians are given their own nation to rule as they like, the Israelis do not have to accept Palestinians as a people, it may not be a solution to the violent conflicts that are currently going on. In fact, a two-state solution may cause violence to escalate.
In a practical sense, the one-state solution works best. However, the willingness for the Israelis to grant citizenship to the Palestinians is minimal, and the Palestinian leadership- if not the people at large- are less than interested in sharing power and land with the Israelis. So, that leaves a two-state solution. If the Obama Administration pursues a two-state solution during talks with the Israelis and Palestinians, they must work to bridge the gap between the two groups of leaders.
None of this will happen overnight. It may not happen for a long, long time. But some change in that area of the world is better than none, and progress- while no long-term substitute for a solution- could quell some of the violence and create an environment more conducive to the creation either of an independent state of Palestine or a nonviolent merge of the two peoples.

Photo via nytimes.com