Benjamin Netanyahu

They want a Palestinian state

instead of Israel.

And Netanyahu's argument is what we should really be doing is supporting Israel in its effort to crush Hamas, to remove Hamas from the equation altogether, and to back Israel to the hilt, fighting for the return of the hostages and supporting its military campaign in Gaza, rather than heading down what he views as this cul-de-sac of recognizing a Palestinian state.

Yes, I think that's right.

And I think he did it for one critical reason.

For all those countries that oppose Israel and are critical of Israel, he knows he has one country that is steadfastly behind Israel, and that's the United States and particularly President Donald Trump.

He came out against recognition of a Palestinian state.

He echoed Netanyahu's argument that this would be a reward for terrorism, a reward for Hamas.

And he did so even as there is some polling that suggests that the American public is far more divided on this issue.

After two years of harrowing images of war from Gaza, more Americans are beginning to question unstinting support for the state of Israel, but not the president himself.

But as long as Trump continues to support Netanyahu, continues to stand behind him in his military campaign in Gaza, I think Netanyahu feels that he has the latitude and the license to be as aggressive as he needs to be.

Well, the U.S.

is so important because it still holds a veto in the United Nations Security Council.

So as long as the U.S.

is totally behind Israel, there is a limit to what the Palestinians can accomplish.

I think it's also widely understood that without U.S.

buy-in

the whole notion of a two-state solution really falls apart.

The U.S.

has always been viewed as the central player in the question of a peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.