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Article by Helena Cobban analyzes the decline of Israel's progressive political factions in the years following the signing of the Oslo Accords, examining the relationship between the economic impacts of the agreement and the political streams in Israel it empowered on one hand, and marginalized on the other. Article points to the weakening of the Labor and Meretz parties since the early 1990s who long-argued that the occupation of Palestinian territories was economically unsustainable for Israel. After Oslo, the influx of donor funds from the United States, the European Union (EU), and others reduced the cost of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, turned Palestinian territories into a "captive market," which eliminated the economic cost of the occupation for Israel. This piece also examines other factors in the weakening of the "peaceniks" such as internal divisions, strategic missteps, and pivotal events such as Prime Minister Ehud Barak's 2000 assertion that there was "no partner for peace," which undermined the peace movement's credibility. Cobban also highlights how the incorporation of right-wing parties into governing coalitions has marginalized peace advocates within Israeli politics. This source is valuable for context on the Israeli left, two-state solution, US-Israel relations, the Obama administration, Nakba education, Israeli settlements, and the right of return.
