Transcript
MARTIN INDYK: There is inevitably in thinking about developing a strategy for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict two basic approaches: The bottom-up approach is the one that Bibi is advocating. You build economic circumstances, improve economic circumstances to the Palestinians, you improve their institutions of governance, particularly the security services, and you begin political negotiations, but it's very much a bottom-up building process.
And others, particularly Arabs, and we come to that in a moment from Tammy, are looking at a top-down process. They argued that, you know, left to their own devices the Israelis and Palestinians will never make peace; what basically needs to be done is lay out the end game with the new president, and we need to do that and then impose it on the two parties, and we'll support you. And that approach is something that I think has a certain appeal for a president who, you know, he's courageous and impatient and wants to get moving no this and also feels a sense of urgency that the window is closed on a two-state solution.
What I think will be necessary is a kind of combination of the two approaches, and that I think is possible to achieve, partly because Netanyahu has already publicly indicated his understanding that there is a potential for involving the United States in this process, and that there is a unique convergence of interest between the Arab states an Israel because they all fear Iran's encroachment upon their region, and therefore I think he's going to be open to the notion of combining a top-down approach with his bottom-up approach.
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