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Source: http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/04/08/quiet-steps-short-peace-ease-jewish-arab-relations/
Quiet Steps Short of Peace Ease Jewish-Arab Relations
(San Diego Jewish World) Ira Sharkansky - Thanks to Oslo, Israel leaves Palestinians to run their own affairs. Exceptions occur when it is necessary to send in the troops for the sake of Israelis' security. By all the signs, the world will have to accept the anomaly of a Palestine short of statehood, with substantial but incomplete autonomy - a state recognized by others but not by Israel, that will continue to surround all of Palestine-West Bank and most of Palestine-Gaza. Egypt sits on the short part of Gaza's borders, and is currently no more friendly to the Gazans than is Israel. Things have improved in recent years, despite the dim prospects for Kerry's process. The Palestinian leadership seems to have learned from their periods of violence not to provoke the Israelis with anything more than words. Continued conversations between various groups of Palestinian and Israeli technocrats have reduced violence to a manageable level, allowed more easy movement for Palestinians throughout the West Bank and into Israel, and the entry of more to Israel on a daily basis for work. These steps have served to increase investments and living standards for West Bank Palestinians. The writer is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University.