If the new administrations in the United States and Israel take a progressive approach to the conflict in Palestine, both their legacies might include a successful two-state solution.
"Israel [and the United States] must take steps to help improve the level of the Palestinian economy and the daily lives of Palestinians," said Brigadier General (Ret.) Ilan Paz, former head of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank, at a CAP event last Friday entitled, "Prospects for a Two-State Solution: Understanding Challenges and Creating Opportunities."
Israel’s role must include decreasing their roadblocks and checkpoints in order to increase accessibility and movement of goods in the West Bank, which will stimulate the Palestinian economy. "The security situation is not the same as it was at the beginning of the first Intifada," said Paz. He personally helped set up the blockades that were necessary at the time, but says "now we are in a different security situation." Today, removing the checkpoints and blockades will serve to heighten security by stabilizing the Palestinian economy.
The difficult challenge the United States and the international community face is how to address the devastation in war-torn Gaza without empowering Hamas, whose control over Gaza is strong. Despite the importance of foreign aid and assistance, it is crucial that the money does not contribute to corruption within Hamas.
Ghaith al-Omari, a panelist at the event and former advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, argued that to avoid contributing to corruption it is necessary to "create a system of transparency, governance, and unity. When the U.S. is putting money into Palestine they have every right to use it in a transparent, clear way." .
Current Israeli policy supports a two-state solution and a reversal of this could cause further destabilization in the region. However, it is likely that Benjamin Netanyahu will put together a government that will not have majority support for a two-state solution.
Decisive and proactive action from the United States is therefore necessary for Israel to effectively push for a two-state solution. The language coming from the Obama administration thus far has been "shockingly great, they have said all the right things," said al-Omari. Both Paz and al-Omari strongly praised the new administration’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
A peaceful resolution between Israel and Palestine is vital to stabilizing security in the Middle East and the rest of the world. The Obama administration must take a leading role in the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, and all parties involved must also work toward achieving a two-state solution. The realization of this solution, however, will not be possible unless crucial steps are taken toward improving conditions for the Palestinian people and creating a system of political transparency.