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Take the Palestinians' "No" for an Answer
(Wall Street Journal) Eugene Kontorovich - The only agenda at this week's U.S.-led Peace to Prosperity conference in Bahrain is improving the Palestinian economy. The plan's 40-page overview contains nothing at odds with the Palestinians' purported diplomatic goals. Given that, the Palestinian Authority's unwillingness to discuss economic opportunities for its own people, even with the Arab states, shows how far it is from discussing the concessions necessary for a diplomatic settlement. Instead it seeks to deepen Palestinian misfortune and use it as a cudgel against Israel in the theater of international opinion. This isn't the first time the Palestinians have said no. At a summit brokered by President Clinton in 2000, Israel offered them full statehood on 92% of the West Bank and all of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority rejected that offer and others in 2001 and in 2008. When President Obama pressured Israel into a 10-month settlement freeze in 2009 to renew negotiations, the Palestinians refused to come to the table. The Palestinians are perhaps the only national independence movement in the modern era that has ever rejected a genuine offer of internationally recognized statehood, even if it falls short of all the territory the movement had sought. The Palestinians can comfortably turn down once-in-a-lifetime opportunities because almost all Palestinians already live under Palestinian government. The Palestinian Authority cannot be forced to accept a peaceful settlement, but rejectionism must have consequences. The writer is director of the Center for International Law in the Middle East and a law professor at George Mason University.