The New York Times on October 22 discussed the death of  the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the role of both sides in its demise.

The prospects for peace "began to unravel in 1995 with the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a right-wing Israeli fanatic, just two years after Mr. Rabin and the Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat shook hands over peace on the White House lawn. After his death, the rapid, government-backed growth of the settler movement in the occupied West Bank, the division and corruption of the Palestinian leadership, and the spread of absolutist religious fanaticism on both sides all contributed to undoing the handshake."

Netanyahu did his part:

• "Netanyahu, having led Israel for a total of more than 16 years, has worked hard to consummate the burial of the idea of Israeli and Palestinian states living side-by-side in peace and security."
• "All means were good to undo the notion of Palestinian statehood. In 2019, Mr. Netanyahu told a meeting of his center-right Likud party: 'Those who want to thwart the possibility of a Palestinian state should support the strengthening of Hamas and the transfer of money to Hamas. This is part of our strategy.' ”

The Times expert, however, sees signs that the escalation of armed conflict and the likelihood of worse to come has caused some Israelis to fan the flames of a dying ember.

"The bridge builders between Israelis and Palestinians sense opportunity in the aftermath of the Hamas attack," which has shattered Prime Minister Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict. "That state of drift, in which peace had become a forgotten or even risible word, now feels untenable." FULL STORY

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