For Israelis, security is the bedrock issue.


Israelis fear that if they leave the West Bank, rockets will rain down on their cities - like when they unilaterally withdrew from Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. They are wary of Palestinian willingness to forge, implement, and sustain a lasting peace agreement and believe they must have the right to defend itself – by itself, when necessary.

Therefore, Israel needs to be reassured:


Israel fundamentally reserves the right to defend itself—by itself. Under the two-state security plan, the security barrier between Israel and the West Bank would be completed, and Israel would maintain a security presence in the Jordan Valley for the foreseeable future. Israel would not be forced to sacrifice its own security to implement a final solution prematurely. Rather, the two-state security plan would help lead towards an eventual two-state solution, which would greatly benefit Israel’s long-term security.

For Palestinians, the bedrock issues are sovereignty and dignity.


The Palestinians will not accept a visible Israeli presence in their daily lives. They have no faith in confidence building measures leading to a lasting peace and they fear that if a two-state agreement were to be reached, Israel would not abide by its terms and instead would overstep at every opportunity.

Therefore, the Palestinians would need to be reassured:


Immediate steps would be taken to quickly reduce Israel’s visible presence in the Palestinian territories, and IDF interactions with Palestinians, a clear timetable for Israel’s withdrawal would be established based on conditions agreed to by all of the parties, and a workable mechanism would be created for resolving disagreements that may arise – Palestinians must be assured that Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank would not drag on indefinitely.