United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 is a serious diplomatic blow to Israel, and contrary to the intention of the countries that voted in favor of it – it is another nail in the peace process’ frozen coffin.

The deterioration to the current low point is a combination of a Palestinian strategy to favor an internationalization of the conflict over direct negotiations with Israel, along with serious mistakes made by the Obama administration and the Netanyahu governments.

The root of the problem is a wrong perception of reality by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Obama administration failed to examine the validity of its basic assumption for advancing a solution to the conflict and understanding the dynamics between the sides, particularly the inability to detect that in the Israeli public opinion Jerusalem does not equal Judea and Samaria and that there is no willingness to take security risks. The decision to ignore President George W. Bush’s letter to Ariel Sharon in 2004 was puzzling, as was placing most of the blame on Israel while ignoring the Palestinians’ part in the ongoing stalemate.

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