The context of Israeli-Palestinian “final negotiations”

Abstract

This article is both a preliminary attempt to return our attention to the central long-term political issue in the Middle East—the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and President Obama’s fast-approaching deadline for the end of “final negotiations” over a final political solution—and, on the other hand, an effort to assess the relevance of the region’s current upheaval for prospects of a conclusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The article argues that contextual factors have historically been the key determinant of the conflict’s course, and suggests that they will continue to serve the same role. It concludes, first, by suggesting that Barak Obama’s call for year-long “final negotiations” was probably designed only for political purposes that nonetheless will probably enhance prospects for an eventual two-state solution, but it also speculates that a “youth revolution” in Israel similar to that manifested in Gaza could lead to a peaceful settlement along the same lines.