Will a Palestinian state emerge alongside Israel? The famous “two-state solution”, mentioned again by Emmanuel Macron during his trip to the Middle East this week, seems to be in decline since the Hamas terrorist attack against the Hebrew state on October 7 last, followed by the Israeli response. This Friday evening, the IDF also “very significantly” increased its strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the hands of Hamas.
It is difficult, given the current context, to imagine peace emerging in the region. Guest of Europe 1 weekend evening, this Friday, Raphaël Morav, Israeli ambassador to France, did not completely close the door to the existence of a Palestinian state. But for the diplomat, a condition sine qua non must be respected. “The peace process cannot happen as long as there is terrorism. Terrorism which exists in the Gaza Strip, but also, in a dormant way, in the West Bank,” he declared.
A Palestinian Authority, in need of “legitimacy”, according to the ambassador
According to Raphaël Morav, “eradicating” Hamas would give “more courage” to the Palestinian Authority, which has become politically isolated, to “engage in a peace process”. The ambassador also points out the lack of “legitimacy” of the entity led by Mahmoud Abbas and established in the West Bank after its forced departure from the Gaza Strip in 2007, following the takeover of power by Hamas. “For more than 15 years, there have been no elections. And President Mahmoud Abbas is 87 years old. It is not an age to make new decisions,” he believes.
Despite all these negative signals, on the path to peace, Raphaël Morav refuses to sink into the deepest pessimism. “I believe that most Palestinians want to continue the peace process, launched with the Oslo Accords. And achieve what is envisaged, that is to say two states for the two nations.” And to conclude by assuring that “hope” still existed.