News
Israeli leaders debate Palestinian future, boycott concerns
Speaking at major conferences, Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid both warned of the danger of a binational state, while Jewish Home’s Naftali Bennett called for the world to recognise Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights.
Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, a major policy gathering, Herzog said that if Israel fails to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, “the biggest threat to the existence of the State of Israel” will be calls for a binational state. He said that, “Within the decade, Arabs will be the majority between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] sea: 52% Arab and 48% Jewish.” Herzog said that therefore, “I want to separate from the Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, at the Jerusalem Post conference in New York, Lapid also warned, “The existential threat of a binational state is real and lies around the corner. Israel’s radicals, from Right and Left, are pushing us in that direction.” He said that bilateral peace talks with the Palestinians are unlikely to succeed as “The maximum we can offer is less than the minimum they can accept.” Therefore, he proposed a regional diplomatic initiative spearheaded by the United States and hosted by Egypt.
Back at Herzliya, Naftali Bennett called on Herzog and Lapid to join him and “challenge the international community” to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War. Bennett asked rhetorically of world powers, “Who do they want us to hand the Golan to?” listing the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Syria’s President Assad as alternatives.
Meanwhile, the topic of campaigns to delegitimize Israel was also high on the agenda. Bennett vowed, “Whoever boycotts Israel will be boycotted. Whoever hits Israel, will be hit back,” while Herzog warned of a campaign constituting “a new intifada.” Meretz leader Zahava Galon insisted that such initiatives are not the result of anti-Semitism, but rather “was brought upon us by Prime Minister Netanyahu” due to his policies.