Peace Process

Far from rewarding terrorism, France’s recognition is an attempt to salvage the two-state solution before it’s too late.

A panel of former ambassadors and decorated journalists discuss the impact of the landmark normalization agreement and what its future holds given ongoing hostilities in Gaza and growing Arab-Israeli diplomatic turmoil.

The architecture behind Arab-Israel normalization has survived the war years, but expansion to other countries will require a credible embrace of diplomacy, along with regional collaboration to shape Gaza’s future.

Genocide scholars lent their reputation to an indictment of Israel that was less a serious inquiry than a parade of previously debunked claims and disgraced “experts.”

France, Britain, and Canada have been paving (separate) roads to nowhere with their recent statehood push, underscoring the profound gap between declaring a historic policy objective and defining a strategy to actually achieve it—ironically, the same gap Israel has fallen into since October 7.

Instead of empty gestures, Western leaders could have pressed for a detailed postwar plan for securing Gaza, removing Hamas from power, reforming the PA, and laying real foundations for future statehood.

The rudderless group is drifting between those who argue for cutting its losses and those who believe it can still hold onto power in Gaza by playing the hostage card well and securing patchwork assistance from abroad.

Tribal militias in Gaza can offer limited tactical help if they are carefully monitored and managed, but relying on them would just be another way of delaying the more important work of formulating postwar political arrangements.

The two leaders should focus on articulating a vision for a diplomatic agreement with Iran, sketching a common roadmap on Gaza, setting the stage for further Arab-Israeli normalization, and updating the parameters of bilateral strategic cooperation for a new regional reality.