It is more plausible that the tooth fairy exists than the “two-state solution,” as presently conceived, ever becomes reality.
As Israel continues its systematic assault on Hamas deep inside Gaza, closing in on high-ranking targets and putting the jihadist outfit’s sprawling subterranean tunnel network squarely in its crosshairs, the conversation has already begun to shift away from the warfare on the ground. True, much painful fighting likely remains; true as well, no one can predict the extent to which Hezbollah or the Iranian regime itself might escalate, thereby risking a full-fledged regional conflagration.
On the one hand, Netanyahu avowed this week that Israel “will for an indefinite period have security responsibility” in Gaza after the war. On the other hand, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking on behalf of a deeply unpopular president who faces a difficult re-election next year and has endured declining Muslim-American support over the past month, stated this week that “it is clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza” after the war.
