PERSPECTIVE| FES ISRAEL The Israeli Labor Party’s »Separation Plan« Making Peace with the Palestinians by Focusing on the Israelis OFER ZALZBERG April 2016 n The fundamental premises of the Israeli Labor Party’s new plan, notably that the two-state solution is currently impossible, have raised many questions regarding its electoral and substantive merit. n Labor’s electoral crisis and the increasingly high priority Israeli Jews place on the preservation of their ethnic identity drove the party leadership to opt for a sharper focus than ever on separation. n The plan’s influence on Israel’s policy and public debate can already be seen with respect to two issues: completing the construction of the separation barrier and di­viding Jerusalem along ethnic lines. This came with the cost of growing resentment among Palestinians towards the Labor party. n Even though Labor’s new plan has high approval rates amongst Israeli public opin­ion, it is uncertain whether it will do better electorally. Labor so far failed to promote the proposal as viable alternative, it has many unrelated weaknesses and other par­ties may siphon parts of the plan. The popular plan does, however, make it easier for Israel’s political kingmakers to throne Labor.