Time is running out for Israelis, Palestinians
Before 2017, Palestinians and Israelis will have to make major decisions that can be condensed into one critical choice: Will both leaderships decide to view their national interests as in convergence or in conflict?
June 5, 2017, will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War — 50 years of occupation of the West Bank. To many Palestinians, this will mark the absolute deadline for the achievement of independence. To Israelis, it would offer a juncture for reflection on the country’s identity as a Jewish democracy. For many Israelis, the 1967 war turned out to be a bittersweet victory.
A senior Palestinian official close to President Mahmoud Abbas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that time is running out for Palestinian diplomatic efforts. “We have given the political process with Israel every chance since 1988, and definitely since the Oslo Accord. But we have discovered that Israel is enamored with the occupation. Since the so-called peace process began, the number of settlers has almost quadrupled. Beginning in September this year, we will make a last diplomatic effort to allow for nonviolent resistance. Come June 2017, without Palestinian statehood, we will have no choice but to revert to an alternative strategy of achieving statehood through conflict.”
