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Envoy: International Community Questions If Palestinians Are Ready for Statehood

(New York Times) Steven Erlanger - Kurtzer, 56, leaves with a deepened respect for the resiliency of Israeli life in the face of violence, in which one of his own relatives died. "I wouldn't have expected the resilience, determination, will to live and to create of a people beset by terrorism for the last four years," he said. Part of the reason is the Israeli psyche, which says "never again," he said. But, he said, the violence has also made the Israelis much less willing to negotiate with the Palestinians, let alone trust their commitments. The Palestinians bear a significant responsibility to show in Gaza that they are ready to assume the burden of statehood, he said. What has most disappointed him has been the failure of the Palestinians, at least so far, to create a positive image based on good administration, realistic policies, and opposition to terrorism. "Victimization gets you on 'Oprah,' but you want to be taken seriously enough to get on 'Meet the Press,' Kurtzer said. "You have a Palestinian Authority, but it's still a question in the minds of the international community if they're ready for statehood with these institutions," he said. The Palestinians must begin to move the refugees out of camps into better housing, build a state of law and order, and find positive messages that can supplement, if not supplant, the steady stream of anti-Israel diplomacy, he said. Kurtzer's replacement, Richard H. Jones, is an Arabist who has served in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Baghdad.
2005-09-19 00:00:00
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