“The prospect of a UN endorsement of a Palestinian shopping-list of aspirations, including the right to return for refugees, Jerusalem as a capital, and the restoration of the ancient borders is worrying for a number of reasons. Diplomats are dreading a potential wave of civil disobedience by “peaceful” Palestinians waving their shiny new and meaningless UN resolution, as they march on the border posts looking to provoke a confrontation with Israeli security forces. But, more fundamentally, such a vote would undermine at a stroke the progress made in bilateral negotiations, effectively obviating all previous agreements. It would be an act of desperate sabotage when an agreement is, perversely, within reach.

On a recent visit, I was struck by the near unanimous view among negotiators and senior figures of all parties that a deal is achievable, and that it will indeed involve two states based on the 1967 borders with swaps of land, a security presence on the Jordan river for an agreed period, an arrangement for sharing Jerusalem, and a gesture towards refugees. If there is a remaining sticking point, it is that the Palestinians would have to accept the existence of a Jewish state.”

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