Choosing between a novel promise or new peril

Inversely, the Palestinian people damage their own cause more than any outside power by resorting to violent resistance, occasionally interrupted by periods of calm. They have also been engaged in rancorous public discourse, further alienating the Israeli public while deepening the Palestinians' resentment and hatred toward Israel.

As a result, they have widened the psychological divide with Israel and nurtured the perception that Israel is and will remain an implacable foe, leaving little room for reconciliation and acutely undercutting their aspiration for statehood.

Palestinian leaders have deliberately perpetuated the plight of the Palestinian refugees, using them as pawns in their struggle with Israel. They continue to promote the false hope of the right of return, leaving millions of refugees languishing in camps while preventing resettlement and/or compensation, which has made the solution to the refugee problem ever more intractable.

Instead of focusing on nation-building, they used the threat or use of violence to achieve their political objective. As a result, they largely remained despondent and dependent on outside resources to sustain themselves while displaying weakness compared to Israel's military and economic prowess, thereby allowing Israel to have the upper hand in peace negotiations.

The split between the PA and Hamas and their inability to reconcile for the past eight years continues to plague the Palestinians, preventing them from achieving a unity of purpose and non-violent plans with which to challenge Israel.

Sadly, both Israelis and Palestinians remain engaged in what Lifton defines as "totalism," which is a characteristic of an ideological movement that desires total control over the behavior of the other. It is motivated by a reactionary fear of social change, as well as a desire for security channeled into violence against groups that represent a threat to survival.

Given the dramatically changing political dynamic between them in recent days, the Israelis and Palestinians have now, as in the past, only one choice to make – they must coexist.

Whereas the Palestinians have turned to the international community for recognition and restitution, they will be wise to take no further steps until after the Israeli elections and a new government is formed.

The Israeli electorate cannot afford to treat this election like any other and must choose wisely the leaders who recognize the vastly changing political environment and will accept the inevitable-a Palestinian state.

This may well be the last chance for years to come to choose between either a novel promise of peace or a new peril.