Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni criticized Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank, saying it would be a "historic mistake."
She said in an article in the Washington Post that the Israeli cabinet is about to make one of the most crucial decisions in modern Israeli history, and it will have a profound impact on its future as a Jewish democratic state and on the prospects for peace.
Livni considers that the matter is not a technical issue and that it is an issue that has a direct impact on the nature, identity, values and future of the State of Israel, and said, "Our country is deeply divided over the competing visions of our national destiny, which leads us in various blatantly different directions."
"My vision for the matter is to prioritize the position of Israel as a safe and democratic Jewish state: the nation-state of the Jewish people with equal rights for all of its citizens, including the Arab minority," she added. "We can preserve these values as long as Israel has a Jewish majority, otherwise the next generation will face A terrible choice between a non-democratic Jewish state or a bi-national state that will suffer violent internal conflict. "
She added that "the idea of two states for two peoples serves the interest of Israel, because each country will separately fulfill its national aspirations of the Jewish people and the Palestinians, and this solution should end the conflict, which is a result that justifies the concessions and risks involved.
"And, as is always the case in the Middle East, there is no ideal option, but the two-state solution is the best solution for both Israelis and Palestinians," she added.
Livni expressed her regret that the negotiations had stopped to this end, and stated that peace is not close by virtue of the fact that she was the chief Israeli negotiator in the past two rounds of negotiations, and the two parties did not reach an agreement.
She blamed the Palestinians for the failure to continue negotiations on the basis of the two-state framework adopted by former US Secretary of State John Kerry, and considered it was a fatal mistake and a missed opportunity for everyone, yet she saw the blame game as not working.
"The refusal of the Palestinians to discuss the Trump peace plan presented by his administration as a basis for the resumption of negotiations, has given some Israeli leaders an excuse to move unilaterally to annex parts of West Bank land, according to the conceptual maps attached to the plan. I think this will be a historical mistake."
She added that "this annexation of about 30% of the West Bank may take place under an understanding between Israel and the United States, but not between the two parties to the peace treaty: Israel and the Palestinians. This means that it pushes us beyond the point of no return in the search for peace, and by this we will judge our children by living in A constant struggle in the narrow place between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. "
Livni describes herself as realist, aware that the peace treaty is out of reach, and that if no agreement can be reached now “we need to keep the path of peace open. We must not set obstacles that prevent us from implementing our vision of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people with equal rights for all of its citizens.”
Her article concluded that support for negotiations and an agreed solution to end the conflict are consistent with all former US presidents who have dealt with the issue, including President Trump. She said keeping this possibility alive is the responsibility of any leader who believes in seeing Israel as a Jewish democratic state and does not give up hope for peace.