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Source: http://www.atimes.com/note-abbas-wake-china-reshaping-middle-east/
Abbas: Wake Up, The Middle East Is Being Reshaped
(Asia Times-Hong Kong) Francesco Sisci - Shipping goods from China, India, or even Thailand by train to Europe through the Middle East is faster, cheaper, and more efficient than doing it by boat. This, however, needs political certainty. Israel, the industrial and technological powerhouse of the region, and the soundest democracy, is the politically most stable place and needs to be integrated to bring welfare to all. A major obstacle to this integration is the failure of Palestinians to recognize Israel's existence. Palestinians know Israel exists, but they do not want to admit it in order not to give up the possibility that Israel might be beaten and erased from the map. This might have been a possibility decades ago, but the shrinking political leverage coming from oil extraction, and the growing political and industrial force of Israel, makes the old Palestinian position insignificant. Everybody, including Palestinians, is lining up to deal with Israel. What was a bargaining chip for the Palestinians 50 years ago has now become a huge drag on their movement and a blinder thwarting their political vision. The Palestinians should work for a time when they can bank on decades of close contact with Israel to help Israeli integration in the region. This integration is already happening with or without the Palestinians. Palestinians can choose to join in this effort or be completely bypassed. The sooner they do it, the more political bargaining power they will get. The later they do so, the less they will get. The writer is an Italian sinologist, author and columnist who lives and works in Beijing.