The Israeli-Palestinian conflict divides Israeli society into two camps. One group defines itself as the “national camp,” while the second calls itself the “peace camp.” The names are designed not only to testify to the characteristics, worldviews and objectives of the respective sides, but also to challenge the other camp. The national camp criticizes those it believes to be unpatriotic and not nationalistic, those willing to forgo parts of the homeland for a phony agreement. The peace camp, by contrast, opposes those who prefer the territories and settlements over peace with its Palestinian neighbors.
At the margins of the charged debate between the camps, a big question has arisen in recent years over whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is at all a real partner for peace negotiations. Can he be trusted? Will he uphold his part of the bargain if and when an agreement is signed between the sides? Will peace also bring security to the Israelis?