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A Pathway for a Palestinian State
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - The U.S. peace plan provides a pathway for a Palestinian state. The Palestinians may reject it because it does not give them 100% of what they want, but with Israel accepting the plan, its argument will be, "Don't say Israel is not willing to do anything for the Palestinians or give them anything, because we are willing." One senior American official said the plan is important because it lays out conditions for a Palestinian state. Under the plan, the Palestinians, to get a state down the line, must disarm Hamas and Islamic Jihad, must stop paying terrorists and inciting terrorism, must end corruption, must respect human rights, and must grant religious freedom and allow a free press. That is important because up until now there has been a tendency to give the Palestinians a free pass regarding the type of state that will be created. These milestones for a state will drive every future discussion about a Palestinian state. What will be significant is that Israel made an offer for a state, and the Palestinians turned it down. This will highlight for the U.S. public and the international community that Jerusalem wants peace, that it is willing to cede territory to achieve that peace, and that the Palestinians are the ones not willing to accept it.