Elections And The Israeli Relationship With The Palestinians
Gil Troy and Matt Duss discuss the results of the Israeli elections and the possibility of a peace process with the Palestinians going forward.
Leader of Yesh Atid speaks on Wednesday. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP)
Speaking with Center for American Progress analyst Matt Duss on Bloggingheads TV, Open Zion editor at large Gil Troy discussed how the Israeli coalition-building process will shake out and how those results could affect relations with the Palestinians. Troy says that while the peace process wasn't a top issue during the campaign, there is a desire among Israelis for a two-state peace. Rising centrist star Yair Lapid has taken some criticism from the left for campaigning in settlements, but Troy notes that he supported the widely-accepted Clinton Parameters for a peace deal.
Then Duss and Troy discuss the building meme in Israel—including from Lapid—that there is no partner for peace in the Mahmoud Abbas-led Palestinian Authority. Troy adds that life for Palestinians on the West Bank, while certainly not ideal, has improved in recent years, and brings in Israeli traumas that inform that body politic's caution.
Watch a clip of the conversation below the jump: