Will removing West Bank settlements and outposts satisfy the Arabs and bring peace?
THEY SAY: Removing settlements and outposts from the West Bank will not satisfy the Arabs and bring peace. The Arabs regard even Tel Aviv as “occupied territory” and aspire to “liberate” all of Palestine. WE SAY: Most Palestinians recognize that Israel is here to stay. Most also accept the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem as the only real option available to the Palestinians to fulfill their national aspirations. Most accept that an agreement to create a viable Palestinian state would mean the end of territorial claims against Israel. For years, public opinion surveys among the Palestinians have consistently found this to be the case. Certainly, there is a minority of Palestinians who don’t accept a two-state solution. And even Palestinians who accept the two-state solution are not necessarily happy about it. But there is no reason they should be: Peace requires the Palestinians to sacrifice their dream of returning to land that they or their an
