Lacking legitimacy in the eyes of his people

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at their trilateral meeting at the David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With the threat of Islamic terrorism hanging over the Middle East, Mortimer B. Zuckerman for US News & World Report reads Netanyahu's comments as doubt that a Palestinian state established this very day would work, because "today the leader of the Palestinians, Mahmoud Abbas, 'lacks legitimacy in the eyes of his people.'"

"They key word is 'today,'" Zuckerman writes.  "Today is when the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has taken territory in neighboring Syria.  Today is when Iran, whose regime swears to destroy Israel, has surrounded the Jewish state with allies in Gaza and Lebanon, not to mention revolutionary guards on the Golan Heights.

"Today is when Iraq is allying with Iran, which holds its sway over Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.  Today is when President Obama is nearing an Iranian nuclear deal that could put Israel at fundamental risk of destruction, much to the advantage of its regional Islamist enemies."

Without a legitimate leader administrating the people of the PA, and with a partner that refuses peace and celebrates campaigns—both terrorist and political—against Israel, Netanyahu was not refuting his two-state stance, he was making an observation of today's climate where it would be impossible to set up a viable Palestinian state.