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Shadows on the Peace Process

(Ha'aretz) Chuck Freilich - All those who truly wish peace know that the Palestinians really do need a strong reality check. Rather than considering where they might possibly have gone wrong after changes in U.S. policy regarding Jerusalem and refugees, the Palestinians responded by digging in their heels even further, casting mud at the administration and severing all contact with it. Ties with the U.S. had been one of the Palestinians' primary achievements following Oslo. It is highly doubtful whether a Palestinian state will be any more moderate, stable, prosperous and peaceful than any of its Arab brethren. To the contrary, bitter experience with the corrupt dictatorship in the West Bank and murderous theocracy in Gaza indicate that a Palestinian state is far more likely to be another failed, authoritarian, unstable, irredentist and violent Arab state, even after peace is signed. The Oslo Accords never predetermined the nature of a final agreement. Israel's willingness to consider the option of an independent Palestinian state was thus contingent, correctly, on the Palestinians' ability to meet two critical tests: A proven ability to govern effectively and to prevent terrorism against Israel. Their resounding failure to do so has cast a heavy shadow on the entire peace process. The writer, a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, is a former Israeli deputy national security adviser.
2018-10-03 00:00:00
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