www.iepn.org After 50 Years – No Future for Two Peoples? What must be done to Build Peace? Herzliya, 28-29 June 2017 October 2017 Edited by: Dr. Jan Busse, Itamar Gazala, Dr. Rem Korteweg, Dr. Roby Nathanson and Dr. Werner Puschra The annual meeting of the Israeli-European Policy Network(IEPN) in Israel focused on the obstacles to peace fifty years after the Six-Day War(1967) and the role of the EU and the international community in removing these obstacles and preserving the prospects for peace. Fifty years since the 1967 war, mentions of peace have almost disappeared from public and political discussion. Ever since, a gradual internationalisation of the continued existence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is observable. The political dynamics between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have been constantly changing and the EU, as well as the international community, have had to continually modify their policies and initiatives to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. In spite of many attempts of the international community and the EU, a permanent solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not yet been achieved. The European responsibility towards the region, due to historical colonialism and other forms of interference, together with the weakening of the United States as a key player in this context, creates a proper environment for the EU to increase its involvement in trying to resolve the conflict and to step up as a leading actor in Middle East conflict resolution. Despite the ongoing stalemate in the political negotiations and that a solution to the conflict seems far from ever, there is still a majority of both Israelis (53%, including Palestinian citizens of Israel) and Palestinians(52%) supporting a two-state solution as a general principle, according to a recent opinion poll 1 . 1 Palestinian-Israeli Pulse: A Joint Poll, The Tami Steinmetz Center However, When asked whether they support a detailed agreement including: a de-militarized Palestinian state, an Israeli withdrawal to the Green Line with equal territorial exchange, a family unification in Israel of 100,000 Palestinian refugees, West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall under Israeli sovereignty and the Muslim and Christian quarters and the al Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount under Palestinian sovereignty, and the end of the conflict and claims, support rates have fallen among Israelis(41%) and Palestinians(43%). However, in the context of removing obstacles to peace, between 25% and 43% of Jews and 24% to 56% of Palestinians who were opposed to an agreement said they would change their minds and support it, based on one of several offered incentives. Mutual recognition is considered a powerful incentive for both parties. When added to the original number of supporters of the original agreement, 58% of Israeli Jews and 66% of Palestinians in total would support the package if it includes this incentive. For Palestinians, releasing the prisoners Israel currently holds is the most powerful incentive. Close to three­quarters of Palestinians in total(73%) could support the agreement if it includes this incentive. When mentioning mutual recognition, one must not forget that in the framework of the Oslo Accords, the PLO recognized the state of Israel, and the Israeli government recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. However, it was not until 2009 when PM Benjamin Netanyahu introduced a new demand 2 - the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. While many in the Israeli public consider this demand as just and for Peace Research, Tel Aviv University, August 2017. https://peace.tau.ac.il/images/PDF/Summary_English.pdf 2 It was mentioned in the past, but not as a necessary condition for the peace process. 111