Biden Can Make Trump's Mideast Peace Plan Work
With violence flaring and both Israel and the Palestinian Authority gripped by political paralysis, perhaps a retooled version of the previous administration’s plan is needed.
Soaring tensions.
Photographer: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Since March, more than 19 Israelis have been killed and more than 50 wounded in armed attacks by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank. The wave of violence is unlike anything seen in years. But it was all too predictable, as political paralysis afflicting both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and a hands-off attitude in Washington have diminished prospects for a long-sought diplomatic solution.
In response to the attacks, the Israeli army has been conducting almost daily incursions into Palestinian hotspots in the West Bank. Upward of 80 Palestinians have been killed in the resulting firefights. Some of them, Israel’s domestic security chief Ronen Bar conceded, have been innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.