The Arab-Israeli Conflict

April 24, 2015

In Chapter 9 of Rocky Harbors: Taking Stock of the Middle East in 2015, Ghaith al-Omari analyzes the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process.

For the last seven decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a central defining feature of the
Middle Eastern geostrategic landscape. In recent years, resolving this conflict through a negotiated two-state solution has become a matter of global and regional consensus and the subject of numerous initiatives. Changing realities between and within Palestine and Israel and the transformations facing the region at large have raised questions as to the feasibility of reaching such a permanent solution.

The question of whether negotiations can resolve the conflict and create an independent Palestinian state has led some to indifference and others to renewed zeal. Ironically, as some regional forces appear to be drifting toward distancing themselves from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, several European governments are deepening their engagement on the issue with a more critical stance toward Israel.