Politics
Opinion: Netanyahu may be standing in the way of a two-state solution. But he's far from alone
One can understand why President Biden, after sticking his political neck out for Israel for months, is reportedly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rockets were still falling on Tel Aviv when Biden visited Israel to show support. He sent U.S. armed forces to the region to deter Hezbollah and, more recently, beat back Houthi piracy. He pushed for billions of dollars in additional military aid and backed Israel’s war in Gaza even as it became increasingly unpopular.
In exchange, Biden has asked Netanyahu to commit to a Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war ends. And Netanyahu just publicly said no.
The United States is now reported to be actively engaging with other leaders and parties in Israel about the future of Gaza and the Palestinians at large. The problem is that opposition to a Palestinian state stretches well beyond the prime minister’s office.
Netanyahu undeniably has his own reasons for rejecting Palestinian statehood. His government relies on the support of ultra-right-wing parties that advocate expelling Gazans from the strip en masse. If he backed Palestinian statehood, the coalition would shatter and his government would collapse. And polls suggest that if new elections are held, Netanyahu will be out of a job and facing legal woes.
Then there are the broader practicalities of implementing a two-state solution, demarcating everything from water rights to airspace and carving out the geography “from the river to the sea” without bisecting Israel in the process. The most daunting political problems would be relocating the 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the eternal challenge of dealing with Jerusalem.
But there is also something deeper behind Netanyahu’s opposition: a fundamentally different conception of the root cause of the Oct. 7 massacre and the current war.
In the American narrative, the context of Oct. 7 is the failure of the 1990s-era Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In this telling, Israel’s “mowing the grass” approach — killing militants without simultaneously providing Palestinians with real political or economic opportunities — was bound to fail. Peace therefore begins with providing those opportunities and a path to a two-state solution.
In Israel’s version of events, the error was Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, which gave Hamas a sanctuary to plan, train for and ultimately launch a relatively unimpeded attack on Israel. Israel notes that it not only allowed but encouraged Qatar to funnel money to Gaza to improve living conditions, some of which was probably spent on weapons. Israel also contends that work permits allowing thousands of Gazans to earn higher wages in Israel became a means for Hamas to gather intelligence.
In Israel’s view, a two-state solution would only compound this problem. The Palestinian Authority is widely viewed as weak and corrupt; nearly 9 in 10 Palestinians want its president, Mahmoud Abbas, to resign. Meanwhile, 57% of Gazans and 82% of West Bank Palestinians approved of Hamas’ October attack, and overall support for the group has increased in both regions.
So, Israel asks, what would prevent Hamas or a similar group from usurping control of a Palestinian state much as they did in Gaza?
This is not just Netanyahu’s view but Israelis’ view. Support for a two-state solution among Israelis has been declining for a decade, according to the Pew Research Center. In a survey conducted several months before the Hamas attack, a mere 35% of Israelis thought two states could “coexist peacefully.” As Israeli President Isaac Herzog remarked in Davos recently, no Israeli “in his right mind” is willing to think about peace agreements. Even if Netanyahu were to depart from the political scene, such Israeli opposition may remain.
This leaves the United States with few levers to pull. It can offer plans for redrawing the map, but that won’t get to the heart of the matter. It can promise incentives such as normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, but the fear of another Oct. 7 will trump any potential benefits. Conditions can be attached to U.S. military aid, but that’s liable to exacerbate Israeli insecurities and, as a consequence, intransigence.
Perhaps the path forward is to start smaller. As Herzog noted, the average Israeli “wants to know: Can we be promised real safety in the future?” After the trauma of Oct. 7, it will take time to build such confidence. But his framing hints at where to start.
Israel’s military leaders have argued that its security requires planning for the war’s end and rebuilding Gaza. Netanyahu has resisted any such discussion, but American pressure might change his calculus. Done right, reconstruction could foster the mutual trust necessary for a more lasting political settlement.
Such incrementalism is bound to frustrate everyone — certainly Palestinians who yearn for statehood as well as right-wing Israelis who resist any thought of rebuilding Gaza, but also the Biden administration, which would prefer a big win in this election year. But like any number of previous presidents, Biden is learning that while the dynamics of the Middle East may change, frustration is a constant.
Raphael S. Cohen is the director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program of the Rand Corp.’s Project Air Force.
Politics
Trump rushed off stage at White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner; reports of gunshots
WASHINGTON — President Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner on Saturday evening after an incident led to a security response and reports that gunshots were fired.
A Times reporter attending the dinner was forced to shelter in a restroom. He said he heard about four to five gunshots around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. He said security told him that the person may have had a firearm. It was unclear whether the person was dead or wounded.
Guests at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner mingle while awaiting updates about a shooting during the event at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday.
(Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times)
A presidential motorcade was spotted outside the Washington Hilton hotel at about 8:45 p.m., though Trump’s location is yet unknown.
At about the same time, an ambulance arrived on scene as about 100 event attendees were escorted out of the secured event. The bulk of the attendees are still inside the hotel.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Politics
Tennessee Passed a Slate of Immigration Bills. Here’s What They Do.
The Tennessee General Assembly wrapped up its annual session this week, with the Republican supermajority signing off on a slate of bills codifying some of the party’s priorities on education and other issues.
Lawmakers expanded the number of school vouchers. They established new state power over the Memphis-area school district, and they put in place additional oversight of the state’s largest airport authorities.
But a central focus of the legislature’s work this year was undocumented immigrants.
Ahead of this year’s legislative session, Republican leaders worked closely with Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, to craft another round of bills that are viewed as a way to enforce President Trump’s immigration crackdown at the state level.
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has already signed some of the bills, which will go into effect on July 1. He is widely expected to sign the others.
Here’s what some of those bills aim to do.
Driving tests would have an English language requirement.
Despite pushback from Democrats and several immigrant organizations, tests for a drivers license will now effectively have an English language requirement.
If an applicant does not speak English, the person can still take the initial written exam in another language. But the applicant will be able to receive only a nonrenewable, restricted license that expires after 18 months. At the end of that period, the driver will have to take a written exam in English to obtain a permanent license.
Government employees could face jail time for failing to report undocumented immigrants who receive public benefits.
Under a bill approved this month, local and state employees would be required to report to the state, including the General Assembly, instances in which any undocumented person receives services at public hospitals or government social service agencies.
State and local agencies, including health-related ones, are mandated to maintain copies of documentation verifying citizenship, such as a drivers license or passport. They would also be required to report undocumented immigrants to a centralized immigration authority established last year.
Mr. Miller and other Republicans have scrutinized fraud and waste across the country, and targeted undocumented immigrants as part of that campaign.
Local governments could lose state funds for failing to verify immigration status for employees.
State and local government agencies are already required to verify whether a prospective employee is a U.S. citizen or has authorization to work in the United States. Another bill, recently signed into law by Mr. Lee, adds the threat of withholding funding if a government entity is found to have violated that process.
Failure to comply with a final deportation order could lead to jail time or a fine.
Some states have sought to criminalize certain violations of immigration law, and Tennessee is joining that push. Mr. Lee signed a law that makes it a misdemeanor if an immigrant facing an order of removal fails to leave Tennessee within 90 days, or if an undocumented immigrant has entered the state while facing a deportation order. Similar efforts have encountered legal challenges, including in Iowa under the Biden administration.
Tennessee sheriffs will have to cooperate with federal immigration forces.
Under one bill, all Tennessee sheriffs would have to enter into formal cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
If they did not by Jan. 1, they would risk losing state funding.
Politics
Parents in Bronx neighborhood plead for NYPD guard as Mamdani cuts cops, halts hires: ‘Horrible situation’
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FIRST ON FOX: NEW YORK — As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani moves to cut the NYPD’s budget and resists calls to hire more police officers, parents in The Bronx are asking for more police, not less, saying their kids face an increase in danger.
The push highlights growing tension between the mayor’s policing agenda and safety concerns from local families.
Over 1,000 people have signed a Change.org petition supporting the families of Zeta Bronx Tremont Park Lower Elementary school, who are requesting an NYPD crossing guard to be assigned to a treacherous corner, where they say a tragic accident is waiting to happen.
Fox News Digital went to the busy intersection at Arthur Avenue and Tremont Avenue and spoke to parents about the dangers their children face every day as cars zoom by on their way to Interstate 95.
“The situation is very horrible for the kids and the parents too,” Aimee, a parent at the school, said. “There have always been small accidents on the street because the intersection crosses to go right to the highway, and it’s something that worries us a lot. They don’t take us into consideration and I feel that we should raise our voice for the entire community of the school.”
MAMDANI MOVES TO SIDELINE NYC POLICE WITH NEW SAFETY OFFICE UNDER SWEEPING OVERHAUL
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during an event. (Getty Images)
A parent named Christine explained that the school has been trying to get a crossing guard or police officer “for a long time” but were told “they didn’t have anyone.” Several NYPD vehicles could be seen parked near the intersection but were unoccupied, and parents told Fox News Digital they belonged to a nearby station and were not monitoring the street crossing.
“[There have] almost been accidents so many times, and we really need help,” Christine said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Mamdani’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
Mamdani has faced criticism over his relationship with police dating back to his mayoral campaign, which was dogged by questions about his past support of defunding the police. After his election, Mamdani was in the hot seat from critics again when his budget included cutting police funding and cancelling 5,000 new NYPD hires.
Some parents near the Bronx school, including some who previously supported Mamdani, aren’t sold on the idea of less police.
MAMDANI’S ‘GUN VIOLENCE’ COMMENTS AFTER KILLING OF 7-MONTH OLD BABY SPARK OUTRAGE: ‘ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’
“Removing or preventing us from having those resources is a step in the wrong direction when our schools and children clearly need more support,” Paola, a Zeta parent, said in a press release. “We need more preventive officers and programs to keep our neighborhoods in the Bronx safe.”
“I am one of those who initially had a lot of faith in Mayor Mamdani, but I’m starting to get scared because he doesn’t seem aware of the actual needs of my community. The safety of my child and my own students is non-negotiable, and we must find the funding to keep our little ones safe.”
Aimee told Fox News Digital “we need more police” to “help us” and urged the mayor to “consider us.”
The Change.org petition requests a “dedicated traffic officer” during arrival and dismissal hours at the school and argues that “traffic officers are assigned at busy school crossings across New York City” and the children at the charter school “deserve the same protection” as those public schools.
A parent named Lou described the situation as “very dangerous” and that many vehicles simply “don’t abide by the law.”
Fox News Digital witnessed several close calls at the intersection with cars making illegal or dangerous turns, honking horns, and coming to an abrupt stop as children were being ushered to school nearby.
“I don’t get why he’s saying less cops or less funding,” Paola told Fox News Digital, adding that the neighborhood is also suffering from crime issues related to drugs.
“There has to be money somewhere.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, an NYPD spokesperson said “The Commanding Officer of the 48 precinct is working with community leaders and elected officials to get more School Crossing Guards.”
“Additionally, personnel from the 48 precinct are working with Department of Transportation to work on additional signage and redesign of the intersection. Year-to-date, there have been no collisions at the intersection Arthur Avenue and East Tremont Avenue. Year-to-date, the NYPD has issued 67 summonses to vehicles in the vicinity of Arthur Avenue and East Tremont Street. Traffic safety is a shared responsibility and the NYPD, along with personnel from the 48 precinct, are committed to supporting local schools in achieving that goal.”
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks at the Service Employees International Union 32BJ SEIU rally on Park Avenue in Manhattan on April 15, 2026. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)
Mamdani won the Bronx in November’s mayoral election with 51% of the vote, compared to 40% for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and 7% for Republican Curtis Sliwa.
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