Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi’s call Nov. 18 urging the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table without preconditions is highly unlikely to result in a renewed peace process with Israel. Ashkenazi took advantage of the media coverage of his meeting in Jerusalem with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who was on a historic visit to Israel, to convey a conciliatory message to the Palestinians a day after they announced the resumption of security coordination with Israel that they suspended almost a year ago.
However, Ashkenazi’s was almost a lone voice in the government, lacking any operational significance as long as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still engaged with President Donald Trump.