Obviously ANY Israeli leader must use all possible resources to survive.
I actually would love to see the Security Council give Palestine the authority of a state. The scary thing is that Presidnet Obamsd’ ability tyo support this reasonable end may be politically blocked by the pressure from the Radical Religious Republicans, what I call the “Repricans”.
Obviously Obama detests these extremists here. I would guess that Obama supports statehood, especially since once that happens there are responsibilities than can help shape a Palestinain democracy. I would guess, from my Israeli friends, that Netanyahu deeply distrusts the Christo/Repricans. How could any Zionist not feel that way? Good intentions can fall to political exigency.
In trying to deal with the ex soviets and religious extremists of Israel, Netanyahu has created a frightening alliance His settlers are outspoken opponents of the zoinist vision of a secular Jewish state! Their vision is eerily like that of Hamas with Halachah (Jewish Law) replacing Shariyah and the right to live in Hebron as exclusive to Jews as the right to live in Mecca is to Muslims. The Repricans play a similar role here.
To keep his coalition together, Netnayahu needs these nut jobs .. his version of the Repricans. The horror is that he must know that Israel can not win an infinitely long war, surrounded by antisemtic states the eschew Jews. That reality creates a huge problem. In the past, to survive, Israel has looked the other way in its relationships with Mubarak, the Shah, South Africa, and, now, the Christo/Repricans. This Israeli hypocrisy will never solve the long term problem, but may be necessary for short term survival.
Of course on their side, Abbas and Fatah have much the same problem. Post Arafat, under Abbas, the West Bank’s economy is doing rather well. Palestinans who want a Palestinain version of Zion, a nice place tied to history where they can be a people, probably can make peace but not as long as their interests are tied to Hamas. Like the Tea Party, Hamas’ beliefs will not tolerate a Jewish state.
Abbas allies himself with Hamas, Netnayahu with the other the Tea Party.
Last night I listened to one of my heroes, Ehud Barak., Nothing he said gave me hope. Still oddly, I wonder if there is not a real chance here for Abbas to get “statehood” and use it to suppress Hamas? That could give Netanyahu and Barak the strategic freedom to dump the Tea Party.