In an interview Dec. 11 on the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that he would push “two states for two peoples. And that’s where I’m focused.” Selections from the long interview were quoted extensively by the Israeli media, particularly the headline-grabbing sound bite that Israel’s prime minister was committed to a two-state solution.

Given the tone of the remarks, it was obvious that Netanyahu wanted to convey the message that he was sincere in his willingness to reach a diplomatic compromise with the Palestinians. When asked what practical steps he was taking to resolve the conflict, apart from vague statements about a two-state solution, he answered that he was prepared to enter into negotiations with the Palestinians at any time and that he wants President-elect Donald Trump to help him with that. “I’d like to see if the Arab states can help me achieve that,” he added. “It’s a new reality. A new possibility.” 

According to Netanyahu, the settlements are not an obstacle to peace. He said that the real reason peace has not been achieved is the “persistent refusal of the Palestinians to recognize a Jewish state in any border.”

Netanyahu may have sounded convincing and prepared, but there was nothing new about what he said. He has been repeating the same message whenever it is expected of him since his 2009 Bar-Ilan speech, when he succumbed to pressure from President Barack Obama to declare his support for a two-state solution.