On August 20, 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Israel and the Palestinians to lead the negotiations: “I invited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas to meet in Washington, D.C. on September 2 to resume direct negotiations to resolve all final status issues that, in our view, can be concluded within one year. At a joint session of the US Congress in May 2011, Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state, adding: “I recognize that in real peace, we must abandon parts of the Jewish homeland. We seek a peace in which they will be neither the subjects of Israel nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life in dignity as a free, viable and independent people in their own State. They should enjoy a thriving economy where their creativity and initiative can flourish. While Israel remained committed to direct negotiations as the only method of resolving the conflict, the Palestinian leadership embarked on unilateral action, preferring to impose its will on Israel through international pressure by submitting a request for admission to the United Nations in September 2011. As part of the 1993 Oslo Accords – the last major agreement on the dispute – Israel and the PLO reiterated that claims to Jerusalem would only be decided in final status negotiations. Today, Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the PA claims East Jerusalem as the seat of a future Palestinian state and views Israel`s influence on the land as an occupation. Negotiations on the final status of outstanding issues will begin no later than May 1996 (two years after the signing of the Gaza-Jericho Agreement; Oslo I, Article V) and before May 1999 (end of the 5-year transitional period).
A peace treaty would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For decades, the United States and most other countries that have relations with Israel have kept their embassies in Tel Aviv so as not to preempt a future peace agreement. Although a 1995 U.S. law [PDF] required the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, successive presidents have waived the obligation to “protect the national security interests of the United States.” However, Trump rejected this in 2017, announcing his intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel`s capital. Supporters of the relocation argued that there was no national security imperative prohibiting the move and that the U.S. diplomatic mission in Israel should be located at the seat of the country`s government. The announcement prompted Palestinian officials to sever ties with the Trump administration. In September 2010, the Obama administration lobbied to revive the stalled peace process by getting the parties involved to agree to direct talks for the first time in about two years. [56] While US President Barack Obama was the organizer of the movement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went through months of appeasement just to bring the parties to the table, helping to convince reluctant Palestinians by securing support from Egypt and Jordan for direct talks. [56] [57] The objective of the talks was to create the framework for a final agreement within one year, although overall expectations of success were relatively low.
The talks aimed to formally end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by building a two-state solution for the Jewish and Palestinian peoples, promoting the idea of eternal peace, formally ending new territorial claims, and accepting the rejection of any violent response to violence. Hamas and Hezbollah, however, have threatened violence, especially if either side is willing to compromise to reach an agreement. As a result, the Israeli government has publicly stated that there can be no peace because of the position of Hamas and Hezbollah, even if both sides sign the agreement. The United States was therefore forced to refocus on eliminating the threat posed by the position of Hamas and Hezbollah in the direct talks. Israel, for its part, was skeptical of reaching a final agreement that the situation would change, as Hamas and Hezbollah would still receive support to foment further violence. Moreover, the Israeli government has rejected any possible agreement with Palestine as long as it refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Several U.S. administrations have proposed roadmaps for a peace process that would lead to two states, one Israeli and the other Palestinian. However, many critics say the prospects for a so-called two-state solution with the controversial political twists of President Donald J. Trump on the fundamental elements of the conflict, including the status of Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, have deteriorated. A common feature of all attempts to create a path that would lead to peace is the fact that, in most cases, promises to implement “goodwill measures” have not been kept by both sides. [107] In addition, negotiations on a “final status” agreement were suspended due to the outbreak of hostilities.
The result is that Israelis and Palestinians have grown tired of the process. The Israelis point to the fact that the Gaza Strip is completely controlled by Hamas, which does not want peace with a Jewish state. [108] According to Israel, this limits the Palestinians` ability to make peace with Israel and implement it in the long term. Moreover, from the Israeli perspective, a violent takeover of the West Bank by Hamas following the creation of a new unstable state is likely. [109] Finally, the rhetoric of senior Fatah officials promising a full and literal Palestinian right to return to Israel (a position that no Israeli government can accept without destroying Israel`s Jewish character) complicates peace negotiations for both sides. [110] Palestinians point to Israel`s extensive and ongoing settlement efforts in the West Bank, which restrict the territory available to the Palestinian state. [111] French officials announced on January 29, 2016, that they would lead an initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and promised to recognize the independent state of Palestine if their efforts failed. .