BICOM

The leader of Israel’s opposition, Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog met yesterday with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome and presented his vision to separate from the Palestinians in the West Bank to bring about a two-state solution.

The hour-long meeting was the fourth between Herzog and Kerry within the last six months. Herzog told Kerry that “the security situation cannot go on, Israelis are being killed in the streets and the world is presenting bizarre initiatives and boycotts.” As a result, the “only way to move forward in the region and progress toward the two-state vision in the future,” would be for Israel to separate itself from the Palestinians. He said, “Our citizens are being murdered and we must carry out a separation that will lead to a two-state solution.”

Although the details of Herzog’s presentation was not made public, Herzog’s aides said that Kerry expressed interest in his plan. Herzog told a security conference last month, that “I wish to separate from as many Palestinians as possible, as quickly as possible.” Elaborating at the time, Herzog proposed completing the West Bank security barrier around the three major settlement blocs of Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim and Ariel, which most assume will remain part of Israel under any future peace deal and integrating settlers from further afield within these areas.

During yesterday’s meeting, Herzog also called on the United States to support a regional security conference involving Israel and Arab states. He said that such a gathering would be designed “to refuel a regional front against Islamic terror and promote confidence building steps in the Middle East.”

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has also recently called for a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict within the context of a wider regional initiative. He recently told reporters that he supported a separation from the Palestinians and a subsequent agreement alongside “full and normal relations — diplomatic and economic — with the entire Arab world.”