6) Psychological impediments
Perhaps the most important obstacle to a peace agreement is the deep psychological impediments from historical, religious, ideological, and national identity perspectives that exist between Israelis and Palestinians. For all intents and purposes, the gap between the two societies is now deeper than ever before, as the psychological impediments impact every conflicting issue, making it nearly impossible to resolve without a significant process of reconciliation that must precede any formal negotiations between the two sides.
None of the above, however, suggests that an Israeli-Palestinian peace based on a two-state solution is no longer viable, but the framework under which a solution can be found is constantly changing. What I am suggesting here is that reaching an agreement on a two-state solution is simply untenable under the present circumstances. In this regard, I deeply believe that the French initiative, with the full support of the EU, has a special role to play (given the preoccupation of the Trump administration with other more urgent issues) in an effort to mitigate many of the issues that separate the two sides, through three simultaneous tracks.
People-to-people
The first track is a people-to-people approach, the purpose of which is to mitigate three major concerns that have and continue to hamper any significant progress in negotiations between the two sides. The first critically important step is to build trust, which is completely lacking, through the two sides engaging in people-to-people activities. Such measures include mutual tourism, academic exchanges, art exhibitions, joint sport activities, and women's activism (programs that will involve women on both sides). These efforts can be supported and aided financially and otherwise by the EU in order to expand them to a much larger scale than is currently being done.
The second is to allay the concerns of mutual insecurity felt on both sides. Both sides have reason to feel a deep sense of insecurity. Some of that will be mitigated through the people-to-people measures discussed above. Further ones can be mitigated from the Israeli perspective through sharing intelligence to prevent terrorist activities and increasing security cooperation to prevent outbreak of violence. On the Palestinian side, for example, Israelis should stop night raids and arbitrary administrative detention.
The third concern is to disabuse the strong Israeli as well as Palestinian constituencies of the illusion that either side can have it all. That is, the process of reconciliation will bring both sides to the conclusion that neither can rid itself from the other and that coexistence is not one of many options, but the only viable option.
Measures taken by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority
The second track is making certain political steps are taken by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority that would create a conducive environment for a solution. Such measures are consistent with their public claims that they are seeking a solution based on a two-state solution; for example, releasing some prisoners, increasing mobility of Palestinians between various Palestinian cities and towns, easing some of the blockades over Gaza, ending mutual acrimonious public narratives by both sides, modifying textbooks to reflect the existence of Israel and Palestine, and further expanding the security cooperation between the two sides.
Political environments
The third track is for the EU to push Israel and Hamas to embrace the API. The API must replace the Quartet and provide the general framework for peace negotiations. Turkey and Qatar can play a significant role in persuading Hamas to embrace the API, and the EU can exert similar pressure on Israel as well, specifically since Netanyahu himself said there are certain positive elements in the API that he is willing to accept. This process should be initiated immediately, and the EU must take the lead.
In addition, given that Hamas will have to be part and parcel of any lasting peace agreement, the EU should put some pressure on Hamas to accept what Defense Minister Lieberman recently proposed -- Hamas must stop building tunnels, put aside their weapons, and end the purchase of rockets, and Israel will then be prepared to begin the systematic easing of the blockade and even build housing and an airport and seaport, all of which are critical for the development of a Palestinian infrastructure on which to establish a functioning state. The EU can also encourage the Palestinian Authority to focus on building such infrastructure, as creating the foundation for a state can only advance the cause of Palestinian statehood under any circumstances.
The EU should discourage the Palestinians from going to the United Nations Security Council to seek recognition of a Palestinian state, or even to push for a resolution to stop the expansion and building of settlements, as this will be counterproductive and would only further harden the position of the Israeli government. Israel has and will continue to defy such resolutions, knowing full well that the Security Council lacks any serious enforcement mechanism, even if the Obama administration supports a resolution, which is not likely.
This kind of reconciliation process, which should last at least two years, will allow the Israeli political opposition to regroup and develop themselves into a political force that can truly challenge the right-of-center parties in the future.
Essentially, what I am suggesting is a process that will gradually chip away resistance by either side, and instead build bridges between them to create the psychological, emotional, and practical environment that will be supportive of a comprehensive peace.
Should such a process take place, one can almost count on all the Arab states to support it, because even though they do not view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a top priority, they would like to end the conflict -- regardless of its intensity, it continues to feed into radicalism throughout the region.
Every day that passes, the conflict becomes more intractable and creates new facts on the ground that may well be irreversible. A two-state solution remains the only viable option as long as Israelis and Palestinians coexist. Their coexistence under the worst and best circumstances is not subject to change short of a catastrophe.
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