The latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict has shown, or perhaps emphasized, some new elements:
@ It provided some “air” to Netanyahu and Hamas. Netanyahu may be more able to form a new government and avoid possible jail. Hamas may enhance its stature as the rebel survival and benefit from some aid to the devastated Gaza;
@ The center of the dispute this time were individual and property rights, even religious rights. Events in Jerusalem and the the West Bank sparked the conflict and exchange of rockets that followed;
@ The strong reaction of the Palestinian-Israeli population was not seen until recently. By the same token, the strikes in the West Bank signaled the widening in the use of massive protests, different from military actions. Dealing with a mass movement through military/police means could be politically more costly to Israel than an exchange of rockets where its superiority is overwhelming. A Palestinian mass movement inside Israel as well as in the occupied territories is likely to attract support from an increasing number of Jewish-Israelis, eager to find a long-term answer to the current situation;
@ The US unconditional support for Israel policies has debilitated further. The Democratic Party is increasingly divided on the issue. Support for Palestinian grievances now goes beyond the left;
@ There is almost not credible support to the two State solution. It is increasingly considered as unviable. On the other hand, a democratic, binational state does not seem viable at this stage; at best, it is viewed with skepticism. The cultural and political environment inside Israel and, probably, inside the occupied territories, is reluctant to a one-state solution. Therefore, the present status will continue for a while. Conditions in the West Bank and Gaza are most likely to deteriorate further.
@ Two events could change the situation radically. Firstly, an organized mass movement comprising Palestinian-Israelis, Palestinians from the occupied terrritories and significant segments of the Jewish-Israeli population. It is unclear if and when such development may emerge. Secondly, a major change in US policies towards Israel. That seems less likely at the moment.