Bernie Sanders: Netanyahu has made his position clear: He will never allow a Palestinian state, ever.

[Martin Eden]

4. The expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank render a Palestinian state there next to impossible

Will those settlers voluntarily abandon their homes, some of which have been lived in for generations?

Will ANY Israeli government forcibly remove them, or withdraw all state run security?

Honestly, I don't see any of that happening.

I do NOT in any way support Netanyahu or his policies, or the settlements. I'm pointing out facts on the ground which I think are a nearly insurmountable obstacle to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank. How could there be while Israeli forces control the settlements and the roads connecting them?

The Oct 7 atrocity committed by Hamas followed by the slaughter and humanitarian crisis in Gaza has renewed efforts towards the two state solution, understandably so. The violence and the suffering must end.

I'm no expert on Israeli domestic politics but I read the news and am aware of the widespread protests against Netanyahu and his plan to strip power from the courts BEFORE Oct 7. I doubt he'll survive the next election, and a more centrist government may come to power.

But is it politically viable to forcibly remove the West Bank settlers from their homes after a series of events triggered by Hamas murdering 1200 Israeli civilians and holding hundreds more hostage?

For much of the world (myself included) the deaths of 24,000+ Palestinians and the utter devastation of Gaza have made it clear that Palestinians need a secure homeland with self determination.

Many Israelis may feel the same way, but I anticipate many more will stand against the forcible removal of Israelis from their homes to make way for a Palestinian state.

The actions of Hamas will not have succeeded in eradicating Jews "from the river to the sea" but their atrocity will have sparked the ceding of lands to empower the Palestinian people.

You and I will not necessarily view the sequence of events in that manner, but rest assured the Isreali hardliners who've won many elections will push the narrative that forcibly removing Isrealis from their homes would prove the effectiveness of the terrorist atrocity committed by Hamas.

How would anyone feel if their daughter was raped and murdered at that music festival, then their own government forcibly removed them from their homes?

If not in the West Bank, would a Palestinian state be viable in the tiny Gaza strip?