A brief timeline: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he would not uproot Jews from their homes in Judea and Samaria; the aggressive statement triggered harsh reactions in Europe (the Americans had no reason to get excited because they already knew it to begin with); the prime minister felt that he needed to mollify the Europeans, so he explained that what he meant was that the settlers would remain under Palestinian sovereignty.

Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett and the right wing of Likud and Habayit Hayehudi reacted clamorously. That must have stung, snickered commentators Yaron London, Mordechai Kirschenbaum and Raviv Drucker on Monday. Mostly, they were delighted to suggest that Netanyahu had fallen into a trap, uncovering the reality of the situation: He never intended to execute that option, he simply wanted Abbas to reject the proposal while Israel washed its hands of it. According to Drucker, by admitting that, Netanyahu wrecked himself.

Adding to the discussion, London insisted that the Palestinians were the biggest winners. They could have said “sure,” making the prime minister look as though he was merely promoting spin. But, alas, that never happened. Abbas roared an immediate “no” — with plenty of exclamation marks. No Jew would be permitted to live on Palestinian territory.

Read the article in full at Israel Hayom.