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Why the U.S. Peace Plan Still Matters
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Dalia Ziada - The U.S. peace plan contains viable components that, with a few additions, could get both Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. The plan has adopted a nuanced and interesting approach to the conflict. It is one of the few plans that recognizes a separate Palestinian state with open channels for direct economic and security cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. What makes this plan different from past iterations is that it was spearheaded by a younger generation, willing to diverge from the previous formulas. Palestinian leaders blindly rejected the peace plan, ignoring the opportunity for the Palestinian people to reap the territorial and economic benefits. They rejected the plan because it did not serve the immediate interests of the political elite in Fatah and Hamas. Neither Fatah nor Hamas leaders are willing to coexist with Israel because this contradicts their ideologies. The writer is director of the American Islamic Conference's North Africa bureau.