Israel’s foreign policy has changed in tone but not in substance

EVEN THOUGH Ramallah and Jerusalem are but a few minutes’ drive apart, no Israeli minister had met the Palestinian president for seven years. The taboo was broken on August 29th when Israel’s defence minister, Benny Gantz, visited Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, the Palestinians’ administrative capital. The Israelis were at pains to emphasise that they had discussed only “routine security matters” and that “there is no diplomatic process with the Palestinians and will not be.” Mr Gantz touched on nothing of substance, least of all the long-moribund peace process.The new Israeli government, which came to office on June 13th, is too fragile to make any serious moves on this front. Its prime minister, Naftali Bennett, and three of the eight parties in his coalition, are adamantly opposed to territorial concessions to the Palestinians. Mr Bennett is flatly against the creation of a Palestinian state.