Spyer on Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "Irreconcilable"

GLORIA’s Senior Research Fellow answers readers’ questions on the peace process, the Katsav verdict, and the future dominant powers in the region.

By DEBORAH DANAN
20 questions 58 (photo credit: courtsey)
20 questions 58
(photo credit: courtsey)
Why should Lebanon continue putting up with threats from Hizbullah like having their hands cut off? Who do you think will be the predominant power in the Middle East in the future? What will be the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations?
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This week’s 20 Questions hosts Dr. Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA) in Herzliya.
Spyer predicts that in the years to come, the three strongest powers in the Middle East will be non-Arab countries; namely, Turkey, Israel and Iran.
Spyer asserts that the price for preventing Hizbullah domination of Lebanon is too high for the international community to pay.
Regarding the peace process with the Palestinians, Spyer believes that there is no real chance for a final status accord between the two sides since they are as far apart now on the core issues as they were at the beginning of the 1990s. Spyer says the situation is “irreconcilable,” and emphasizes that the conflict is not based on a misunderstanding, but on an understanding that the two sides will never see eye to eye. 
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