The Gay Courier: Bibi Refuses to Sign Two-State Communique with Polish Leaders

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Bibi Refuses to Sign Two-State Communique with Polish Leaders

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 12:48 AM PDT

Netanyahu with Poland’s premier: “No Auschwitz borders for me, my friend.”

It’s been a lousy week for the two-state solution. First, tourism minister, Uzi Landau, sniggered at the two-state solution and said the very idea was ridiculous and would never happen under this government. Then, a few days later, Danny Danon, the deputy defense minister and a far more senior official, said virtually the same thing. At that point, Bibi put a lid on his ministers and told them to shut up.
The ultra-nationalist MKs are launching a pro-settler causus in the Knesset. Bibi refused to allow any minister to attend for fear of what they might say to further embarrass him.
But today, Haaretz brings news that Bibi shot himself in the foot on his current visit to Poland. After the draft of a closing communiqué was prepared by both sides which endorsed a two-state position, no less than the prime minister put the kibosh on it. The cancelled statement read:

Poland and Israel will agree that the latter’s legitimacy, the security of its citizens, and the Palestinian right to a state should never be in doubt…
Both governments support the vision of a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, allowing for the self-determination of the Jewish and Palestinian nations, living side by side in peace and security.

No two-state solution for Bibi. As a result there was no final communiqué, which is quite a faux pas in diplomatic protocol.
It could be that this is posturing in the face of Palestinian resistance to re-opening peace talks (though Bibi hasn’t phrased his decision in that way). Or it could be currying favor with his far-right pro-settlement constituency. Whatever it is, clearly Netanyahu is thumbing his nose at the Obama administration and John Kerry’s flailing attempt to revive the moribund peace process.
If this teaches anything (and those who should be taking lessons clearly aren’t listening), the two-state solution is dead. Dead as a doornail. Anyone who maintains faith in the two-state solution is fooling themselves. Not to mention, giving hope where there is none. That amounts to willful delusion and this is a condition the region can ill afford.
Let’s be clear who killed it: Israel. Despite Bibi’s single feeble embrace of two-states in his Bar Ilan speech, this was puppeteering for the sake of the Obama administration. Bibi doesn’t support two-states. Never has, never will. He has no plan for peace with the Palestinians. None.