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A Decent Gaza Is Possible, but First, the Palestinians Must Lose

(Washington Times) Daniel Pipes - While Israel enjoys a huge economic and military edge over its Palestinian enemies, Israel's leaders have sought to conciliate them rather than defeat them. The Jewish state strategically seeks to end the conflict through a curious combination of enriching and placating Palestinians. This approach accounts for its current predicament. The Palestinian center of gravity lies in the hope to destroy Israel and replace it with Palestine. Accordingly, Israel's goal must be to extinguish that hope. Ridded of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, Israel can then work with the growing body of Palestinians ready to come to terms with Israel's existence and seeking to benefit from it. This means constructing administrations in Gaza and the West Bank by working directly with moderate Palestinians to build a decent polity comparable to what is found in Egypt or Jordan. It means supporting the voices of moderates and amplifying in Arabic the message of Palestinians calling for an end to a century of futile rejectionism in favor of building something positive. But this will happen only if Israel breaks with its tradition of conciliation and instead seeks victory. The writer is president of the Middle East Forum.
2024-06-23 00:00:00
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