October 2010

Our peoples need leaders who understand that their leadership is not judged by how long they postpone the inevitable, but by how swiftly they resolve the conflict.

While I don’t support Abu Mazen’s position, I do understand him. Israel never demanded this kind of recognition from anyone else–not from Egypt or Jordan and not even from the United States. If the Palestinians recognize Israel, then as the Palestinians understand it they will be agreeing to remove the issue of refugee rights even before the negotiations begin; surely Israel cannot expect them to do so.

The stars seemed better aligned now to move peace forward than at any time over the past decade. What is lacking is any real call from the people of Israel and Palestine demanding it.