At a forum attended by President Bill Clinton, Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to Palestinians that efforts to unilaterally declare a state and ask for recognition by the United Nations would lead to a unilateral Israeli response:
"There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral attempts outside that framework will unravel the existing agreements between us and could entail unilateral steps by Israel," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a high level gathering of Israeli and American policy makers at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem on Sunday night.
What that response would be as of yet is unclear.
Perhaps Israel might declare its borders, which might include the entirety of Jerusalem and any permanent Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
If this scenario were to happen, with the UN recognizing a Palestinian state and Israel declaring its final borders, the entire "peace process" might simply turn into a border dispute. Israeli settlers would no longer be able to create new outposts, but the permanent settlements would be able to expand within with less criticism, as they'd be within Israel's borders.
Israel might also unilaterally withdraw from the non-Jewish West Bank, because it would be occupying a UN-recognized country, not simply territories of former adversaries.
Israel might also be forced to respond to new rocket attacks or other militant activity from Gaza as responding to official acts of war by "Palestine."
In other news, President Bill Clinton spoke at the same forum, praising President Obama's peace initiatives and reiterating the unbreakable relationship between Israel and the United States:
Clinton also recommended that Netanyahu and Obama act diplomatically in public, so as not to confound the issues in the eyes of the media. Their seemingly shaky relationship thus far should not be seen as any indication of future partnership, he said. "No American president can serve in good conscience and not be committed to the security of Israel," Clinton said.
Interesting times we live in...