Annapolis’ unkept promises : a Palestinian perspective

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Before Israeli military operations in Gaza durably prevented hopes of an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement, the negotiation process initiated in Annapolis on November 27th, 2007 had failed in its objective to create a Palestinian state. Even worse, the year 2008 has been characterised by a markedly worsening situation in Palestinian occupied territories, because of the ongoing Gaza blockade and the dramatic expansion of Israeli colonisation, mostly in East-Jerusalem. Analysing the respective ways of handling the cases of permanent status, whose resolution is sole capable of ensuring the conflict’s definitive settlement, and assessing the realities of the field, undermined by colonisation, tend to prove today that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement is out of reach. Thus, events in the past year may have buried the « two States » solution. In the absence of any negotiatied solution that may be contemplated in the near future, this conflict’s major trends may unfortunately endure. The use of force, demographic evolution and instrumentalising religions may keep on shaping the Israeli-Palestinian problem’s backdrop. In the meantime, the Israeli government will have to assess the relevancy of maintaining a short-term approach to the conflict. Palestinians are the main victims of this attitude today, yet Israel may eventually reach a dead end because of it.