Middle East & Africa | States of mind

For the first time in years Israel’s leader wants a Palestinian state

But the peace process Yair Lapid is backing is comatose

Mandatory Credit: Photo by JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13411476by)Yair Lapid, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, delivers his address during the 77th General Debate inside the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 22 September 2022.General Debate of the 77th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, New York, USA - 22 Sep 2022
|JERUSALEM

Promises of peace are common. Yet Yair Lapid, Israel’s prime minister, caused a stir when he told the UN General Assembly on September 22nd that he wanted to make peace with Palestinians based on the “two-state solution”.

That plan itself is not new. It has been the basis for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians since the Oslo accords of 1993 and is supported by many governments around the world. It aims to divide the territory currently controlled by Israel into an Israeli state and a Palestinian one.

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