THE CREATION of Palestine in the absence of a peace agreement might well prove to be the final nail in the coffin of any prospects for peace. Once again, any incentive for the Palestinians to work toward peace has been eliminated. The carrot didn’t work, and the stick didn’t work, and there is little reason to believe that establishing Palestine will bring peace.
The timing could not be more absurd: all over the Middle East unsuccessful regimes are falling. Yet the world is eager to create another one. Who will lead this country? Will it be Hamas, the Islamic terrorist group that is constituted on the basis of never agreeing to peace with Israel, but who were democratically elected by the Palestinians? Or will it be Abbas, who is described as “moderate” (though who isn’t moderate when compared to Hamas?), and notably was not given the support of the Palestinian majority during their most recent elections, and has long overrun his term as president?
The establishment of Palestine might well be the right thing to do in the right circumstances at the right time, but none of those conditions apply at the moment.
Michelle Moshelian
mmoshelian@hotmail.com