Abbas sits atop a newly invigorated Palestinian Authority; the West Bank is completely secure. They want peace but will adopt a one-state solution if Netanyahu turns his back on Palestinian progress. Israel must act now.
The United States has been a surprisingly ineffectual Middle East peacemaker. Clinton’s overenthusiasm and Bush’s lack of interest caused us to lose our credibility with both Israel and Palestine.
Sectarian infighting and foreign intervention breed intrigue on the Lebanese political scene. Last summer’s war had a devastating effect—but factional power politics and Hizballah’s rising popularity threaten to make matters worse.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert failed to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It should be unsurprising.
The way forward is to concentrate on solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which, because the many problems of the region are so interlinked, can create, in turn, momentum for dealing with the other regional disputes that feed it.
Sure, the thriving and robust Palestinian economy is nice. But the Palestinians have turned their backs on prosperity before, and Hamas would relish the role of spoiler.
