[Goater]

Predictably, I disagree.

I have read a few things espousing this point of view, but it is generally accepted that the offers that Israel has made have been genuine and workable. I have not read the book you cite, but a quick google shows that the author is at odds with the bulk of literature regarding this subject, including that written by those who were there. Also, he propagates a variety of Palestinian propaganda myths: the "murder" of Rachel Corrie, Jenin "massacre", the Al-Dura "murder", including misrepresenting a number of UN resolutions.

In any case, I dont want to get into a detailed discussion of the minutiae of the various offers, but on a very general level, if I was a Palestinian and the conditions i lived in were as bad as claimed and all I wanted was a state of my own so that my children could grow up without "repression" by the Israeli Army, etc... the offers made would have been snapped up by me.

But the average Palestinian does not get a say in what to accept or reject. A small bunch of corrupt, brutal, power hungry extremists decide everything and control what the average person knows about "negotiations". Even if the average Palestinian wanted a 2 state solution (and I see absolutely no evidence of this) they have no way of pressuring their leaders. And your analysis of why Hamas took power is certainly novel. I have actually never heard that opinion before. The overwhelming majority of credible commentators agree that Palestinians were sick and tired of the corruption and crookedness of the Fatah regime and rejected them by voting Hamas. Combined with a growing agreement with Hamas' aims, methods and beliefs, and a belief that Hamas had "defeated" Israel in Gaza, Fatah were trounced. I must say I am shocked that you believe that Palestinians rejected Fatah due to their inability to deliver a 2 state solution, something which is never promoted or considered when Fatah leaders speak to their people in arabic. There are countless examples of Arafat returning from negotiations and telling Palestinians in Arabic that they will not accept anything less than full return of land, sovereignty over Jerusalem and the right of return and even then only as a stage in the eventual destruction of the state of Israel. Fatah were never supported on the basis that the would deliver a 2 state solution - that is laughable. It was almost the opposite - Fatah were the historical spearhead of the struggle against the existance of Israel and were always seen as such by Palestinians.

Israelis on the other hand have specifically elected a number of governments on the specific platform of delivering a peace deal with the Palestinians - and are able to change their governments regularly, putting more pressure on politicians to actually deliver. Peres even went behind the countries back to kick start the Oslo process and Rabin was murdered because of it. Barak was elected on this premise too, Netanyahu and Sharon were only elected when the violence was so great that the people needed a "strong" leader to confront the violence and protect the lives of Israelis. Real concessions (such as the pullout from Gaza) have been made. Have you ever been to Palestine or Israel? I can assure you that in Israel, the majority of people support a 2 state solution if genuine security is gained in return. And im not talking about a narrow view of 2 states - I mean a comprehensive and reasonable solution. Why on earth would it be in Israels' interests to negotiate, raise the bar of expectation each time and deliberately cause negotiations to fail? What would this gain for a democratically elected government other than to dispirit the electorate and probably ruin their chances of reelection?

I have no doubt that many Palestinians wouldnt mind becoming Israeli citizens - for the standard of care that the government provides as compared with that of the Palestinian leadership or as a step in the eventual destruction of Israel.

Please explain this statement: "I wish the Israeli majority who wants two states had influence over the people calling the shots." Im not sure what you mean or who you are talking about?