This is John Bachelor, conversation with Mary Kessel, my colleague, former senior advisor to the Secretary of State, traveled widely with Secretary of

Pomeo. Before that, in Hong Kong with the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, most recently

Executive Vice President Stevens Incorporated discussing the report from the Middle East

that Secretary Blinken in consultation with allies in the Gulf

looking for a two-state solution to bring peace again to the region and especially to Israel. The puzzle here is the two-state solution.

It is an old idea that did not work because the Palestinians did not prove to be

worthy and trustworthy partners, and yet it is advanced again

by Secretary Blinkin as if we didn't learn that hard lesson once upon a time.

Mary is very careful here. that hard lesson once upon a time.

Very, is very careful here to explicate why it is very unlikely.

In fact, we can rule out any possibility of it working now after the attacks on October 7th.

Here's Mary Kessel about the two-state solution and what needs to be done going forward

to get credibility for the United States in conversation with our

allies in the region to end the threat of Hamas, of Hezbollah, and other bad actors driven by Iran.

Here's Mary.

I think MBS says one thing in public and another in private.

As for Secretary Blinken, I think he's saying the same thing in public as he's saying in private,

although I'm not in the room, so I can't say that definitively, but there does seem to be a

belief among the senior leadership of the current US administration that the

two-state solution is the answer. And I just don't think that the diplomats,

whether they be in Jerusalem that the diplomats,

whether they be in Jerusalem at our embassy or back in Foggy Bottom,

...