(Orlando Sentinel) Syd Jackowitz - In 1948, when Israelis established the State of Israel, all they had was a small piece of land, in a desert, no oil, surrounded by hostile Arabs. Instead of being stuck in a jail in a desert, the Israelis decided to create a nation. If the Palestinians choose to find themselves in the world's largest jail, then so they will. But if they regard this pullout by the Israelis as a great opportunity to show the world what they can do with this piece of land, then great things can happen. In our own back yard, Disney started with 27,000 acres of cattle land, orange groves and swamp, and look what was accomplished in 37 years. Disney created its kingdom because not only did the company have the land and the money, it also had the vision. The Palestinian people now have Gaza, and money is available from the U.S., the EU, and the Arab world. Can the Palestinian people focus on building their state rather than dwelling on the past? The future of Gaza is in the hands of the Palestinian people. The writer formerly served as legal counsel for Walt Disney World.
2005-09-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive