| Lenore G. Martin: "Israel Needs to Reach a Two-State Agreement" |
| Interview by Selen Tonkuş |
 Lenore G. Martin, Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science, Emmanuel College and an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University said that if Israel wants to be democratic and Jewish-majority state, it needs to make agreement with Palestinians on two-state basis.
ORSAM: Direct peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinians started on September,2. You are a member of Boston Study Group on Middle East Peace which recently issued a policy statement entitled “Israel and Palestine – Two States for Two Peoples: If Not Now , When?” The general soul of the Group and the work is pretty much optimistic. Do you feel positive about the likelihood of a breakthrough this time?
Lenore G. Martin: The situation now is extremely challenging: A split in the Palestinian leadership with Fatah governing the West Bank and Hamas governing Gaza; there is a very right wing coalition governing in Israel; the settler movement in Israel is strong; the Israeli public is concerned about a Hamas controlled West Bank and possible missile attacks as occurred following the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza; spoilers such as Hizbollah, Syria and Iran are likely to raise problems; the issues call for compromise and President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu may not have the clout or creativity to bridge the problems such as refugees and Jerusalem.
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