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Gaza, a Failed Palestinian State

(Ha'aretz) Moshe Arens - Gaza is a Palestinian state. Its entire population is Palestinian. Not a single Jew resides there, something that most Palestinians consider a requirement for a Palestinian state. It has a government, an army, a police force and courts. It is not occupied by anyone. For the last 10 years, Palestinians had a chance to show the world how a Palestinian government works for the benefit of the Palestinian population under its control. It is incontestably a failed state. They are living under a blockade, you say. Well, it is hardly a blockade when almost daily, hundreds of trucks bring in produce and material, and electricity is provided from Israel. And this "blockade" is of their own making. Were it not for the rockets that are periodically launched into towns and villages in Israel, whatever restrictions that are imposed by Israel would have been lifted long ago. And had Gaza's rulers bothered to develop a good relationship with their Egyptian neighbors, they could have arranged for free access through the Egyptian border. A lot of money has poured into Gaza over the years. Much of it has been spent on rockets and digging tunnels into Israel. It's been doled out to corrupt officials rather than invested in housing, education and the welfare of the population there. Those advocating the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] should take a close look at the Palestinian state that already exists in Gaza. The Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria should give it some thought as well. The writer served as Israel's Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
2017-06-26 00:00:00
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