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Too little too late

Dec 29,2016 - Last updated at Dec 29,2016

US Secretary of State John Kerry outlined his vision for peace between Palestinians and Israelis in the boldest manner yet.

His blueprint for peace entails Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands and Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two sides that would have to implement the two-state solution.

Kerry said in the sternest manner that the Israeli prime minister’s policy on the Palestinian conflict is pushing his country to “permanent occupation” of the West Bank.

Said Kerry: “Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can separate into two states.”

Should Israel opt to maintain its occupation of the West Bank, that is, one state, Israel would be neither Jewish nor democratic, said Kerry.

Nothing new so far. Theories about demographics and how they would affect one state abound, with both sides periodically announcing where their population figures reached in a funny war of numbers. 

The question is why did Kerry, or President Barack Obama for that matter, take so long to make this stand on the situation in Palestine known?

Why only a few weeks before Obama leaves office? 

More importantly, why didn’t Obama help implement this blue print for peace between Israelis and Palestinians by using his country’s clout to pressure the hawkish Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu?

And, are Kerry’s words real defence of a principle enshrined in international law and humanitarian behaviour, or merely an attempt to justify the US’ wavering position, one that only enabled it to abstain from voting on a resolution that does nothing but reaffirms a principled position?

Was Kerry making this 11th hour strong case for the two-state solution to redeem the Obama’s administration’s eight long years of submissiveness to the Israeli diktat?

As is, with Donald Trump expected to be sworn in soon and with his unapologetic pro-Israel views clear, this latest US declaration is of little significance.

Jordan has been constantly saying that the two-state solution is the only viable way out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

Now, with the imminent change in the White House, Kerry’s noble views may very well remain a small footnote in history books.

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