JERUSALEM (AP) — An influential American commentator has shocked the Jewish establishment and Washington policy-making circles by breaking a long-standing taboo: He has endorsed the idea of a democratic entity of Jews and Palestinians living with equal rights between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. Peter Beinart argues that a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine is no longer possible. In making his case, Beinart challenged a core tenet of Western foreign policy and of discourse among many Jews around the world of the need to ensure the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. His arguments take aim at decades of failed efforts by U.S. and European diplomats, as well as Israeli leaders.
