ENDING ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN DISPUTE WON'T RESOLVE OTHER MIDEAST PROBLEMS

Ending Israeli-Palestinian Dispute Won't Resolve Other Mideast Problems - Youssef Ibrahim (New York Sun)

• Some claim that settling the 100-year-old dispute between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs is a sine qua non to resolving other Middle East catastrophes, but the whole argument is a red herring from start to finish.
• The catastrophes in the Middle East lie in five areas:
  • Internecine conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, and among Palestinian Arabs;
  • Absence of representative governments for 350 million Arabs;
  • Uneven distribution of wealth and corruption;
  • Widespread illiteracy, poverty, and illness;
  • Disenfranchisement of women.

Why does resolving any of these depend on good will in the Palestinian Arab areas?

Another canard is that the Palestinian Arabs themselves are ready for anything in the way of peace. Yet Palestinian Arabs are gearing up for a civil war of their own. Should Israel unilaterally leave much of the West Bank, the follow-up will be a Palestinian Arab blood bath.

Gaza, evacuated by Israeli troops more than a year ago, stands as a vivid example - a mess of armed factions, extortion, corruption, and Islamic fundamentalism. Palestinian Arabs need rule of law before a settlement with Israel.