|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/capitaljournal/2009/05/19/when-is-a-palestinian-state-really-a-state/
When Is a Palestinian State Really a State?
[Wall Street Journal] Gerald F. Seib - The Israeli prime minister is willing to cede land, and flatly says he has no desire for Israel to govern Palestinians any longer. The problem, in his mind, is that people are throwing around the word "state" too freely and allowing for too many assumptions about what that word means. Being a state means running your own affairs, picking your own leaders, and having your own economic system - none of which Netanyahu appears to have any problem with when it comes to the Palestinians. But when people say "state," Netanyahu worries, they also are implying a self-governing unit that can raise an army, acquire weapons from abroad and control its own borders. And those aspects of statehood, the Israeli leader argues, are non-starters for Israelis.