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The state of Israel cannot survive unless it withdraws from the West Bank and stays in the Golan Heights, according to Rider Professor Jonathan Mendilow. Mendilow spoke about the "The Political Changes in Israel and the United States: Short and Long Term Impacts on Middle East Peace Negotiations," on April 28 at the Highland Park Conservative Temple-Congregation Anshe-Emeth.

He said the decline of the Israeli government began in 1977 when the Labor party, who had been in control of the Israeli government since 1948, lost an election for the first time to the Likud party. Once they lost, coalition governments were created based along ideological lines.

"The weakness of Israeli governments since 1977 was a function of the gradual polarization of the party system between right wing and left wing blocs," he said.

In 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin was able to form a coalition to succeed Labor.

In the 2009 elections, Kadima, the largest party in the Israeli government at the time, failed to form a coalition, enabling Likud to form a coalition and become the governing party in Knesset. Kadima's rise to power is primarily based on the assumption that Greater Israel and territorial compromise are no longer possible, he said.

"The former because of the demography which mandates that a greater Israel will include an absolute non-Jewish majority," he said in a follow-up email to The Jewish State.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton, Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat, and Prime Minister Ehud Barak met at Camp David in Maryland to attempt to create two states side by side. The territorial compromise, which was brokered at the meeting failed to work and produce positive results because for the Palestinians it wasn't about the land; it was simply about not having the Jews in Israel.

"Arafat went to Camp David with an ill-prepared offer," Mendilow said.

One key element to Israel achieving peace is negotiating with Syria, he said. Syria wants the Golan Heights back, which Israel annexed in 1981. Withdrawing from the Golan, however, would be catastrophic for Israel, because the Golan is a major defense area from the Arab lands invading, he said.

"Golan is easier to deal with because it is not part of the Greater Israel historically or religiously, because there are no Palestinians there, and because Syria is an ally of Iran and separating the two will contribute not only to Israel's security, but to the U.S. policy in the region," Mendilow said.

Because of the growing number of Palestinians in Israel, simply negotiating with Syria cannot be a cure-all for peace in Israel, Mendilow said. If Israel doesn't withdraw from the West Bank under a peace treaty, it will be forced to withdraw without an agreement, giving the upper hand to the Palestinians.

"At that stage I will begin to worry whether Israel has a long-term future," he said. "It is not that Israel should not withdraw from Golan. It will, at the end. It is that no withdrawal from Golan, necessary as it is, will suffice. What Israel needs is a withdrawal from the West Bank and the Palestinian majority there."