No One Knows What’s Next, But It Cannot Be the Old Two-State Solution

Messrs. Kedar, Schenker, and DeMogge have my gratitude for their thoughtful comments.

All of us agree on the dangers of a Palestinian state, and I further agree with Rafi DeMogge (though I am more optimistic than he) that “preventing the establishment of a terror state on Israel’s eastern border requires active, tireless work.” Mordechai Kedar reminds us very usefully that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not only national but religious in nature, and that it is seen by many Palestinians—and other Arabs—as a form of jihad or holy war to reclaim Islamic lands. But the Abraham Accords are a reminder that not all Arab states share these views, and actual movement toward Palestinian statehood is not inexorable. Indeed, despite all those UN speeches “recognizing” Palestine, statehood seems to me further away, today, than it was in 2000 or 2008.

It is striking how much the responses address the “Jordanian option.” My essay was primarily about why Palestinian nationalism had failed to produce a state and would continue to do so, not about possible alternatives to the “two-state solution.” Perhaps the great degree of agreement on my main argument is what led to the concentration on the West Bank and Jordan.