It sounds like a good idea: Take Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, turn them over to what passes for a Palestinian government. There's a chance it might work. I think Fatah won the last shootout with Hamas, so at this moment the Palestinian bosses aren't necessarily dedicated to destroying Israel. That's a start.
My guess is that Palestinians will accept the neighborhoods. Then, within a year, maybe two, come group of Palestinians will blow up a flower market or some other strategic target, because Palestinians weren't given control of the Holy City in Jerusalem.
I know that sounds cynical, but consider this: I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and I think I'm coming down with a cold.
I do not think you are necessarily being cynical, just perceptive; an acuity that comes from many previous disappointments. That last sentence made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteMore seriously,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've been interested in what's going on in the Middle East in general, and the east shore of the Mediterranean in particular, since the before the 1972 Munich Olympics.
... and it hasn't been the most encouraging exercise.
ReplyDeleteOn the up side, the crisis that's been boiling since the Jews re-established Israel may encourage Muslims to re-examine Islam in the light of a post-Magna-Carta global society.