Netanyahu's "Optimism"

At a Likud party meeting two days ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau said he optimistic about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. One has to wonder: What does he mean by "optimistic?" Does this optimism mean that Netanyahu thinks there will be progress in the peace process, or does he think the opposite: that the process, which is useless to begin with, will fall apart soon.

This cynicism comes from a very problematic fact, that the PM has promoted a policy that he himself does not believe in. Rather than finding a true alternative to "two states for two nations," Netanyahu prefers a policy of minimizing damages by using the failed equation that has practically become Obama's slogan, while demanding preconditions that contradict the entire process.

Recognizing the State of Israel as a Jewish state, along with any recognition of the justness of Zionism, contradicts the logic behind a two-state solution. The Palestinian narrative, which sees the Arabs living in Israel as a separate nation, was created in the 1960s as a way to de-legitimize Zionism. If Zionism is not a crime, then the Palestinians are simply Arabs, some of whom left Israel when the state was formed in 1948. This is a simple humanitarian problem that could have been solved 50 years ago and can be solved now, especially when considering myriad Arab states in the world.

The creation of a Palestinian State is impossible. It has no geopolitical, military or economic logic behind it. It is a failed formula that the world has not let go because of Palestinian propaganda and the lack of an alternative solution. Rather than show optimism about a process that he doesn't believe in, Prime Minister Netanyahu would be better off if he thought outside of the box and adopted a new plan. This plan would offer peace in the simplest terms: prosperity, security and rights for all, without paying lip service to the Palestinian national narrative, whose contribution to recent history has only been frustration and bloodshed.