Bennett: Two-state solution has come to a dead end

"Never have so many people invested so much energy in something that is hopeless," he said, adding that "the challenge now is how do we move forward from here, knowing that a Palestinian state within Israel is not possible."

"We have to move from solving the problem to living with the problem," Bennett stated, calling on Israel to annex Area C of the West Bank "as quickly as possible."

The economics and trade minister also suggested that instead of investing money on peace conferences, Israel should direct funds to an economic initiative to improve life for both Jews and Palestinians in Area C by repairing West Bank interchanges and building industrial parks.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze\’ev Elkin (Likud), also addressed the conference, agreed with Bennett\’s comments, but stressed he does not believe that one should assume that the idea of a Palestinian state is dead. Rather, he believes that Israel is still in the battle to prevent such an outcome.

Elkin compared the battle of public relations between Israel and the Palestinians to the Biblical battle between David and Goliath. 

He stressed the importance of investing more money into public relations, stating the Foreign Ministry budget for public relations was NIS 9 million, while the Palestinian Authority\’s budget for public relations was $200 million dollars, compiled mostly of donations from European countries.