That means virtually no chance of an Israeli annexation of occupied West Bank territory of the sort recently contemplated by Mr. Netanyahu, a step that would have provoked a diplomatic crisis with the Biden administration. At the same time, the new Israeli government has little interest in or capacity for new peace initiatives with the Palestinians. Mr. Bennett has publicly opposed the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians long favored by the United States. His prescription is to reduce the friction around the issue rather than try to solve an intractable problem. While Mr. Biden supports a two-state solution, he does not consider one realistic in the short term.

Source: International New York Times June 14, 2021 23:37 UTC