(Arab News-Saudi Arabia) Faisal J. Abbas - The U.S. peace plan may make peace more possible and less remote. It is all very well for veteran politicians and diplomats to carp about the plan, but what exactly have they achieved in more than 70 years of trying to resolve this conflict? That is why there is a strong counter argument that it is time to think outside the box. It is the definition of insanity to repeatedly do the same thing and expect a different result; for 70 years, every time the Arabs have said "no," the Palestinians have lost more land, more rights and more opportunities. The Palestinians should negotiate hard, and then take what they can to secure a nation state for future generations; everyone would salute their courage and sacrifice if they did, while there is nothing to be gained from a refusal to come to the negotiating table. Another Palestinian "no" would allow the Israelis to claim that they had done everything possible to secure a deal and been rejected, and it would encourage the already generous Trump administration to cut them yet more slack. Bottom line: Let us give peace a chance. The writer is editor-in-chief of Arab News.
2019-05-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive