The refusal thus far of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to release the last batch of 30 long-term Palestinian prisoners indicates that Israel, as suspected, seeks to dictate the terms of whatever outcomes, if any, emerge from talks with the Palestinians. Prior to this development, the Israelis during the talks had presented the Palestinians with the additional condition of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. The longer it takes for a US framework to be presented, the more likely Israel will continue to dictate conditions that render it impossible to reach a reasonable and just outcome acceptable to the Palestinian people.

In hindsight it is clear that prior to the resumption of negotiations, it was imperative that the United States obtain acknowledgment from Israel that it is an occupying power as defined by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Not securing this legal status as a means for a negotiated outcome has meant more creeping settlements and the continued shrinking of Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem.

The legitimate anger of the Palestinian people seems to have been inevitable, and this should point to the need for immediate reconciliation between the two governing Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza. I am not sure how US Secretary of State John Kerry is going to try to salvage his Palestinian-Israeli mission or whether Israel will reverse its latest decision. In light of Israel’s ongoing practice of dictating new terms, a serious and consequential effort to resolve this conflict should go back to where it belongs — the United Nations.

This might be considered “unrealistic,” especially in light of the history of US vetoes in the Security Council to protect Israel. In my view, however, it would behoove Kerry to reassess the nature of his involvement because Palestinian rights cannot remain unaddressed, subject to endless “negotiations” and the ongoing dictates of an Israel impervious to UN resolutions.