(AP-Washington Post) When Israelis look at the West Bank, they see a pre-1967 border that is basically just a cease-fire line from the 1948-49 war that established the country. Without the West Bank, Israel is only about 10 miles (15 km.) wide at its narrowest point. The strategic highland looms over Israeli cities, visible on a clear day from the outskirts of Tel Aviv and surrounding Jerusalem on three sides. They fear that if their army clears out, it will be replaced not by peaceful Palestinian moderates but by more menacing forces like Hamas. On several occasions Israeli governments have offered the Palestinians statehood on close to all of the West Bank and Gaza. The idea of a border running through Jerusalem - with Palestinian police controlling entrances to the Old City a stone's throw from downtown hotels - is unfathomable to many Israelis. Few think a peace deal is likely.
2015-03-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive