Renewed Engagement: The Bennett-Lapid Government and the Palestinian Authority
Several months into Naftali Bennett’s premiership, we have witnessed a resurgence of high-level Israeli engagement with the Palestinian Authority, with which relations had reached a nadir under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Prominent members of the new Israeli government have been meeting publicly with PA officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas. Despite taking these steps, Prime Minister Bennett has made it clear he does not intend to reenter negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and, unlike many of his coalition partners, opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. We invite you to go through this policy briefing with Jerusalem-based journalist Adam Rasgon, whose recent New York Times piece explored new developments in Israel-PA relations. We discussed in this session the implications of this apparent détente on Israeli domestic politics and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.