Former US Special Envoy to the Middle East Martin Indyk said the recent war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip “may have put a new nail in the coffin of the two state solution” warning of the negative path of relations between the United States and Israel, Israel’s Channel 10 reported.
Indyk said the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip dubbed “Operation Protective Edge” damaged relations between the United States and Israel to a great extent and reinforced tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama.
He pointed out that “in spite of the solid foundation in the relations between the two countries, the situation could change following the Israeli operation against the Gaza Strip.”
Indyk warned of poll results which reveal a decline in the support among young people and democrats for Israel, saying that if the situation continues at this pace, Israel “will find itself in a new situation other than the one it is used to”.
Channel 10 reported that Indyk expressed pessimism regarding the possibility of a return to the peace process between Israel and Palestine, saying “the Israeli army operation in Gaza has reduced the likelihood of reaching an agreement between the two parties, because it deepened the estrangement between them”.
Indyk said: “The Israelis, after what they have seen in Gaza, will not allow themselves to repeat the same scenario in the West Bank, and in return, the Palestinians will adhere to their demands that there should be a specific timeline to end the occupation.”
“The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas may have recorded for himself a few points during the war on Gaza, especially among Israelis but he suffered losses in popularity on the Palestinian side.”