The End of the Two-State Solution? Israel, Palestinians and the International Power Imbalance

Far from providing a definitive solution to the territorial dispute, ten years of talks seem to have merely exacerbated antagonism between Palestinians and Israelis. According to Marta Tawil, this can be attributed to: a) structural shortcomings in the agreements negotiated in the Nineties between the Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority, with the participation of the United States; b) the weakness of Palestinian leadership; c) the policies of the great powers, particularly the United States and the European Union, and d) the influence of regional government actors and international loyalties. The series of confrontations that broke out in December 2008 between Hamas and the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip were sparked off by serious power imbalances between the main local, regional and international actors involved in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This imbalance has typically resulted in unilateral decision-making and strategies by the more powerful actors, compounded by a misevaluation of the limitations weighing down on Palestinian leaders.