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In the Arab-Israel conflict where every word is dissected and analysed to see whether there could be any change of policy - the use of the words "a two state solution" instead of "the President's two-state solution" could well signal President Biden's abandonment of his own two-state solution – Israel and Palestine - in favour of a Saudi two-state solution – Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine.
Such speculation has arisen following this State Department Media Note issued on 4 September:
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The Assistant Secretary will travel to Israel and the West Bank September 1-3 to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss a range of priorities, including the ... Administration's continued support for a two-state solution.
Was the State Department referring to "the two-state solution" articulated by President Biden on 15 July?
President Biden ... underscored his commitment to a two-state solution on the 1967 lines with land swaps mutually agreed by the Israelis and Palestinians. He also highlighted the importance of direct negotiations leading to an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, both enjoying secure and recognized borders, allowing the two peoples to live side-by-side in peace and security.
Or was the State Department referring to a different two-state solution – Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine emanating from Saudi Arabia on 8 June 2022 calling for the merger of Jordan, Gaza and part of the West Bank into one single territorial entity to be called the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine?
The Saudi plan's author - Ali Shihabi - is a confidante of Saudi Arabia's next King, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Shihabi's Plan was published in Al Arabiya News, owned 60% by the Saudi Government.
This latest Saudi plan supersedes the 1981 and 2002 Saudi Peace Plans.
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The rationale for creating the Saudi-proposed merged state as against the Biden-proposed brand new state was recently explained by Shihabi:
We have seen from recent experience that state building is a virtually impossible task, particularly in a polarized environment so creating a "Palestinian State" from scratch is a fool's errand. At the same time Jordan is a decently run country by regional standards and hence its government infrastructure can be used to incorporate 'Palestine' which will instantly have a globally recognized and respected government with all the basics like security, government bureaucracy etc.
Shihabi's two-state solution, if implemented, would consign Biden's two-state solution - "a fool's errand" says Shihabi - to the diplomatic graveyard.
Author's note: The cartoon - commissioned exclusively for this article - is by Yaakov Kirschen aka "Dry Bones"- one of Israel's foremost political and social commentators - whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.
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