Trump's Israel and Palestine peace push may be doomed
Benjamin Netanyahu
Both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left meetings with the US at the General Assembly convinced that Trump is serious about a Middle East peace plan  Haaretz reported at the time.
Hamas is considered by Israel and the US  as well as other countries  to be a terrorist organization.  Netanyahu  has made  it  clear  he  has strict demands before Israel engages with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas  including recognizing Israel  breaking its ties with Iran  and dismantling its military wing.
"We expect everyone who talks about a peace process to recognize the State of Israel and  of course  the Jewish state  " Netanyahu  said last week. "We cannot accept fake reconciliation on the Palestinian side that comes at the expense of our existence."
Given  Netanyahu 's current stance  though  a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation could doom negotiations  Daniel Kurtzer  a former US Ambassador to Israel and Egypt  told Business Insider.
" Netanyahu  can do what  he  wants to do  and thus far  he  appears irreconcilably opposed to PLO-Hamas reconciliation " Kurtzer said in an email. "If the Palestinians do reconcile on a reasonable basis and if  Netanyahu 's attitude doesn't change  it will be impossible to reach negotiations now."
Similar talks have started before  though  and have not been successful. The current discussions happening this week in Egypt are reportedly ignoring the issue of Hamas' military wing  even as both  Netanyahu  and Abbas have demanded demilitarization.
Without the backing of both factions  Abbas does not have the ability to say he speaks for all Palestinians  a reason  Netanyahu  has offered in the past to avoid negotiations.
"Mr. Netanyahu and  his  government were using Palestinian division as an excuse not to make peace " Saeb Erekat  the chief Palestinian negotiator when Fatah-Hamas talks ended the 2014 US negotiations  said at the time.
Both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and  [TGT]  left meetings with the US at the General Assembly convinced that Trump is serious about a Middle East peace plan  Haaretz reported at the time.
Hamas is considered by Israel and the US  as well as other countries  to be a terrorist organization.   [TGT] has made  it  clear   [TGT]   has strict demands before Israel engages with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas  including recognizing Israel  breaking its ties with Iran  and dismantling its military wing.
"We expect everyone who talks about a peace process to recognize the State of Israel and  of course  the Jewish state  "  [TGT] said last week. "We cannot accept fake reconciliation on the Palestinian side that comes at the expense of our existence."
Given   [TGT]  's current stance  though  a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation could doom negotiations  Daniel Kurtzer  a former US Ambassador to Israel and Egypt  told Business Insider.
"  [TGT] can do what   [TGT]   wants to do  and thus far   [TGT]   appears irreconcilably opposed to PLO-Hamas reconciliation " Kurtzer said in an email. "If the Palestinians do reconcile on a reasonable basis and if   [TGT]  's attitude doesn't change  it will be impossible to reach negotiations now."
Similar talks have started before  though  and have not been successful. The current discussions happening this week in Egypt are reportedly ignoring the issue of Hamas' military wing  even as both  Netanyahu  and Abbas have demanded demilitarization.
Without the backing of both factions  Abbas does not have the ability to say he speaks for all Palestinians  a reason   [TGT] has offered in the past to avoid negotiations.
"Mr. Netanyahu and   [TGT]   government were using Palestinian division as an excuse not to make peace " Saeb Erekat  the chief Palestinian negotiator when Fatah-Hamas talks ended the 2014 US negotiations  said at the time.