By eliminating the two assumptions critical to negotiations with the Palestinians, Israel’s current leadership – and, indirectly, the majority of Israelis – has destroyed the thin veneer of legitimacy that the international community had erected around a country that has been occupying another people for nearly five decades. The justification for not censoring Israel too harshly in international institutions or using boycotts to punish Israel for war crimes is no longer valid.
以色列的当前领导层——间接地说，是以色列大多数人——打破了与巴勒斯坦谈判的两大关键前提，也摧毁了国际社会给这个侵占另一个民族近五十年的国家所编织的可怜的合法性外衣。不再有合理理由要求不要在国际机构中对以色列太为难或不要使用抵制以惩罚以色列的战争罪行。