Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer. Photo: YouTube.

JNS.org – According to Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, the US “Peace to Prosperity” plan and Israel’s extension of sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria, will end decades of Palestinian rejection and make a two-state solution more likely.

In an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Saturday, Dermer wrote: “Many have argued, including some of our friends, that Israel should not take any unilateral steps. But some of those same friends applauded Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 because they mistakenly believed it would advance peace. Unfortunately, it didn’t. It empowered Hamas, endangered Israel and dealt a heavy blow to the prospects for peace.”

“Israel hopes the decision to extend sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria will have the opposite effect,” wrote Dermer. “We hope it will convince the Palestinians that another century of rejectionism is a losing strategy and that the Jewish state is here to stay. And by shattering the two-state illusion and advancing a two-state solution, Israel hopes it will open up a realistic path to peace.”

Dermer’s defense of Israel’s plan to extend its sovereignty over the Green Line comes just days before a reported meeting between senior members of the US administration in Washington, DC, to decide whether to give the Israeli government the green light to move ahead with its sovereignty plan.