[Hudson Institute New York] Khaled Abu Toameh - While recent reports about an "economic boom" in the West Bank may be exaggerated, there's no ignoring the fact that there has been improvement in the living conditions of the Palestinians living there, mainly the result of a U.S.-led effort to boost "moderate" Palestinians and thwart any attempt by Hamas to extend its control to the West Bank. However, the billions of dollars won't change Palestinians' negative attitude toward Israel, especially not when anti-Israel incitement and fiery rhetoric continue. The donors must insist on an end to incitement and inflammatory statements. This conflict is actually about accepting Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people in this part of the world. The Palestinian media should be asked to "lower the tone" and start relating to Israel as a potential peace partner and not as an alien body that needs to be uprooted from the Middle East.
2009-08-13 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive