(The Hill) Ahmed Charai - Count me among a large number of Arabs who have long believed that the U.S. peace plan deserves a chance - albeit one of the few who says so publicly. The failure to build vibrant Palestinian civil, economic, and cultural institutions has always been a significant obstacle to their dream of statehood. Thus it is pragmatic to open a four-year window for the Palestinians to pursue such an outcome, as the U.S. plan essentially does. No prior conception of a peace settlement has gone as far in articulating a plan to foster Palestinian civil and economic vitality. The Bahrain economic workshop won large pledges of financial support from Saudi Arabia and other countries. Though rejectionist ideologues remain in power, younger generations express greater interest in economic progress, struggling against corruption in their institutions, and engaging Israel and the broader region in pursuit of these goals. The writer, a Moroccan publisher, is on the board of the Atlantic Council and is an international counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
2020-01-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive