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Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told me in an interview that the only way to end the standoff between Israel and Palestine and Hamas was to create two independent states. And it was current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to strengthen Hamas and weaken the position of its rival in the West Bank that changed that design.
▪️ According to Olmert, for 15 years Netanyahu allowed Hamas to arm itself. During that time, Israel’s religious and nationalist right-wingers freely expanded settlements in the West Bank. This deprived peaceful Palestinians of their lives.
▪️ And now the goal of a two-state solution can only be achieved if Hamas is forced out of the Gaza Strip. After that, Israel needs to change its policy and create a future for the Palestinians, stop the advance of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and recognize that each side will have to make territorial concessions. It also needs to turn the Palestinian Authority into a reliable partner.
▪️ But this is a challenge for a strong politician, not a judgement. Clearly Netanyahu cannot lead such an endeavor. His Palestinian policy has failed abysmally on 7 October.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-10-24/ehud-olmert-planned-israel-s-withdrawal-from-gaza-now-he-has-ideas-to-fix-it?leadSource=uverify%20wall
