For the first time since 2010, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) made an official visit to Israel hosted by a senior Israeli official. He met with Minister of Defense Benny Gantz at his home in the city of Rosh HaAyin. The rare meeting between the two caused a political storm in Israel, inviting reactions from all sides of the political spectrum.

Interestingly, both the Left and the Right in Israel analyzed the meeting in a similar fashion. Both arrived at the conclusion that it is evidence that the idea of establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria is still alive and that the government is more or less supporting that direction. The difference is, of course, that both place polar opposite values on the idea of a two-state solution and a Palestinian state. The Left sees it positively as the only hope for true peace between Israelis and Palestinians that will ensure security and prosperity for both peoples. In contrast, the...

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