Only a new U.S. policy that accepts some settlements while rejecting others would practically maintain the viability of two states in the future.

Incoming Presidents usually like to demonstrate how different they are from their predecessors. After the U.S. abstained on a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement policy, President-elect Trump tweeted that “things will be different after January 20.” In this area, at least, a change from the Obama approach is needed.

Israeli settlements in areas expected to be part of an eventual Palestinian state are a problem — and make peace more difficult to achieve. Historically, however, settlements have not been the main impediment to peace, as Israel has demonstrated a readiness to dismantle them. It did so first when it withdrew from the Sinai as part of peace treaty with Egypt and then again when it withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005.

Read the full article at the Washington Institute