Egypt: Gamal Mubarak’s DC Visit Draws Criticism
September 2nd, 2010 by Evan
In the Daily Star, Jamil K. Mroue writes that while Gamal Mubarak should have the right to run for president, his candidacy “illuminates the deep-seated and systemic problems afflicting Egypt.” According to Mroue, there is little that is genuine about the younger Mubarak’s campaign: “Gamal Mubarak is little more than another crown prince awaiting succession to the throne of a purported Arab democracy.” The American Coptic Union also recently criticized the Obama administration’s decision to invite both Hosni and Gamal Mubarak to this week’s Israeli-Palestinian peace talks: “His son plans to inherit his father’s position as if he were entitled to it. This invitation is a slap to the face of those who believe in the US position on promoting democracy in Egypt.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine | Comment »
Palestine: Concentrate on Leadership First, Negotiations Second
September 2nd, 2010 by Jason
With negotiations set to begin today in Washington between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, members of the Palestinian community are calling on their leaders to resolve internal disputes. In an interview with Reuters, influential Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti emphasized the need for reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas and the importance of this reconciliation to the peace process: “The problem is not in the principle of negotiations, which we accept, but that without a popular foundation and action on the ground which supports negotiations, they will not reach any results.” This feeling is echoed by Hani Almadhoum who writes that he is not surprised by the “cynicism” of the Palestinian people: “…in the past five years, when was the last time you heard of a Palestinian leader giving a key speech…the kind of speech that inspired a national dialogue?…I cannot remember such a day…Such banality is dangerous.” Almadhoum goes on to describe the governments in both Gaza and the West Bank as “managers”, capable of hanging on, but not much else: “…managers worry about their respective departments. Leaders worry about the whole unit. We need both decent leaders and wise managers to go hand in hand in an increasingly complex and volatile political and economical (sic) situation.”
Posted in Hamas, Palestine, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Palestine: Political Divides, Repression Will Hurt Peace Process
September 1st, 2010 by Anna
Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of the Palestine Center, asks in an article today what recent “upticks in politically repressive activity” by the Palestinian Authority might mean for the prospect of peace with Israel. He writes that “Abbas is now about to enter direct negotiations in spite of the adamant objections of the Palestinian public.” By cracking down on political opponents, according to Munayyer, Abbas is only damaging his government’s legitimacy and confirming that he “is in no position to sign a binding and lasting agreement on behalf of Palestinian stakeholders.” Amidst an inter-Palestinian divide, Munayyer points out that many Palestinians do not feel adequately represented by the PA, and this sentiment is exacerbated by the continued repression of non-Fatah voices in Palestinian politics. He concludes that “Palestinian domestic political disarray is likely to continue,” and contends that a viable resolution of the conflict with Israel can only be possible under a “unified and representative” Palestinian government.
Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Political Parties, Public Opinion | Comment »
Palestine: Fayyad’s “Mirage”
August 31st, 2010 by Evan
Responding to Kenneth Chasen’s piece last week on the success of the Fayyad administration, Ali Abunimah writes that much of what Chasen saw during his visit to Ramallah was “a mirage”. Despite apparent development, the economy is still weak and institutions that Fayyad is credited with building are “hollow”. Abunimah specifically takes umbrage with Chasen’s assertion that Fayyad’s authoritarian style is necessary for progress: “Chasen acknowledges that Fayyad rules in an ‘authoritarian’ way, but this is putting it mildly. Last Wednesday, Palestinian Authority thugs raided a meeting of dozens of Palestinian political activists opposed to the authority taking part in new direct talks with Israel…”. The author also points to a recent Carnegie Foundation analysis that states that Fayyad’s regime “is not just postponing a democratic system; it is actively denying it.”
Posted in Palestine | Comment »
Palestine: Sign of Things to Come?
August 30th, 2010 by Jason
An article at the Middle East Monitor today claims that the Palestinian Authority runs the risk of “changing rapidly into a repressive, dictatorial regime in the same mold as other Arab governments”. This piece was prompted by the recent breakup by Palestinian Security Forces of a symposium put together by Palestinian groups opposed to direct negotiations with Israel. While President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the incident will be investigated, the reaction from the Monitor was less than hopeful: “…when have the Authority’s investigations ever brought about real results? Indeed, when have real results ever been possible, the findings implemented and the accused brought to justice?”
Posted in Civil Society, Palestine, Political Parties | Comment »
Palestine: PA Tightening Grip Before Peace Talks?
August 27th, 2010 by Evan
At the Hudson Institute’s Hudson New York blog Khaled Abu Toameh writes that the Palestinian Authority is cracking down on internal dissent before peace talks with Israel this fall. “By silencing its political opponents and critics, the Palestinian Authority is trying to create the false impression that it has the backing of a majority of its people to negotiate with Israel,” writes Toameh. In recent weeks Palestinian security forces have arrested and attacked political activists protesting the summit with Israel.
Posted in Palestine, Protests | Comment »
Palestine: Development, then Democracy?
August 26th, 2010 by Evan
In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Chasen argues that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s government has made significant progress toward building a functional state in the West Bank. Chasen cites recent economic growth, extensive modernization in Ramallah, and a “general atmosphere of busyness and safety” across the territory as proof of Fayyad’s success. While expressing concern about the “authoritarian manner” in which Fayyad has achieved these results, Chasen suggests that economic development may be a necessary precondition for future political development in both the West Bank and Gaza and recommends that the U.S. should increase its support for the Fayyad government.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Palestine | 1 Comment »
Lebanon: Palestinian Employment Rights an “Important Breakthrough”
August 20th, 2010 by Jennifer
Representatives of various institutions
praised the Lebanese parliament’s recent decision to grant Palestinian refugees in Lebanon full employment rights.
Salvatore Lombardo, the Lebanon director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), stated, “These amendments are an important step in the right direction,” while
Nada al-Nashif, regional director of the International Labor Office (ILO), commented, “This endorsement of the universal right to work by Lebanese legislators is an important breakthrough.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon also commended the amendment, saying, “This is a small step that was long awaited on the road to grant the nationality to Palestinians and their naturalization in Lebanon and elsewhere around the world.” Future Movement bloc leader
MP Fouad Siniora contradicted this suggestion, remarking that “a healthy and new relation with our Palestinian brothers… would also strengthen the Lebanese and Palestinian commitment to reject naturalization.” Meanwhile, only the Phalange Party criticized Parliament for passing the law, with
Phalange leader Amin Gemayel arguing that “it is not fair to give rights to a non-Lebanese when the rights of Lebanese who own land alongside camps are confiscated.”
Posted in Human Rights, Lebanon, Palestine, Reform, United Nations | Comment »
Western Media: Enabling Arab Autocracy?
August 16th, 2010 by Jennifer
Khaled Abu Toameh writing for the Hudson Institute in New York lambasts what he describes as Western media’s “hypocritical approach” to covering human rights abuses in the Arab world. According to Toameh, the media leaps to report on stories of Israeli abuse against Arabs, while largely refusing to cover human rights violations committed against Arabs by their own dictatorial states. Toameh says that “the mainstream media in the US, Canada and Europe are turning a blind eye to recent developments in Jordan, where the government has introduced a law that restricts media freedom.” Further, he cites the Palestinian Authority’s recent arrest of seven Palestinian university lecturers in the West Bank– a story that only one of “at least a dozen foreign correspondents and newspaper editors in North America and Europe” chose to run –as an example of the media’s “double-standards” approach to news items, stating, “One can only imagine the reaction of the international media had the Palestinian academics been arrested by Israel.” Toameh also asserts that this pattern is “not a new phenomenon,” arguing that “many Western correspondents based in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv refused to publish stories about bad government, abuse of human rights and rampant financial corruption under Yasser Arafat’s administration.”
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, US media | Comment »
Palestine: Losing Democracy
August 13th, 2010 by Farid
A new piece in The Economist offers an assessment of Palestinian democracy, arguing that “instead of building a democratic state, the PA is fast on its way to creating just another Arab autocracy.” The article says that while many observers criticize Salam Fayyad’s promise of institution-building, most Western governments “prefer division and no elections to reconciliation and elections,” as they are wary of Islamist rule under Hamas. According to the piece, both halves of Palestine are “remarkably similar” in terms of governance, since “Hamas and Mr Fayyad rule by decree, merging executive and legislative arms into one.” Regarding Palestinian participation in the political process, the article observes, “Opinion polls say most Palestinians are more or less willing to put up with their muzzled lot, since they have been exhausted by their own intifadas (uprisings), by Israeli repression and by periodic chaos.” The piece notes that some advocate the status quo, while following the Jordanian example by suspending parliament and ruling by decree in order to guarantee stability and prevent threats to Israel. However, such an approach means “putting off the task of reuniting the West Bank and Gaza and building a single Palestine state,” and will lead people to “consider other, more violent” measures to achieve change, the article warns, citing the example of Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader who lost his faith in democratic change following Western governments’ refusal to recognize Hamas’s electoral victory in 2006.
Posted in Hamas, Palestine, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Palestine: Peace for a Change?
August 9th, 2010 by Jennifer
Steve Clemons writing at The Washington Note argues that with American soft power abroad “severely diminished” in recent years, the U.S. finds itself at a moment of “‘historical discontinuity’ when doing tomorrow mostly what the nation did yesterday is recognized as a recipe for disaster and failure rather than success.” Clemons proposes that the Obama administration must engage in “a combination of brilliant leadership and well orchestrated ’strategic leaps’” in order to reestablish the U.S. role as a global leader, focusing on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as “the strategic leap that the world most needs to see at this moment.” He explains that the current situation poses increasing security risks to the U.S., particularly in regard to the need for a regional containment strategy on Iran. Clemons also suggests that since “the Palestinian mess is for many of these people [in the Arab and Muslim worlds] the packaged microcosm of their anger about exploitation and humiliation by the West and by their own governments,” achieving a two-state solution may create an “echo effect” that “will knock down many walls in these societies that have been resisting change.” Clemons also says that without a solution in place, any semblance of support for Israel could cause their Arab regimes’ populations to revolt and overthrow their governments. He argues against allowing such a scenario to occur, commenting, “Perhaps that is part of the plan that neoconservatives and others hope for. But that would be disastrous for the United States and most likely create conditions for a terrorist super highway up to the edge of Israel with few control valves.”
Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Jordan: Disenfranchising Palestinian Citizens
July 26th, 2010 by Jennifer
In a recent op-ed at The Jerusalem Post, Mudar Zahran criticizes the Jordanian government’s “on-going process of striping Palestinians in Jordan of their citizenships.” Noting that Jordan has instituted an official policy of revoking the citizenship of Jordanians of Palestinian decent– so far resulting in the denaturalization of over 2,700 individuals, according to a Human Rights Watch report – Zahran quotes Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Nayef al-Qadi as defending the decision, stating, “Jordan should be thanked for standing up against Israeli ambitions of unloading of the Palestinian land of its people.’” Zahran argues that the regime has established an “apartheid system” that discriminates against Jordanian Palestinians, who he says are allowed “little or no involvement in any political or executive bodies or parliament,” and have suffered from “decades of systematic exclusion in all aspects of life expanding into their disenfranchisement in education, employment, housing, state benefits and even business potential.”According to Zahran, the rise of radical conservative nationalist groups since 2008 has exacerbated this situation; the nationalists are calling for turning Jordanian Palestinians into refugees and thus creating a “Palestinian demographic bomb” to send to Israel. Zahran characterizes this trend as “a serious threat to regional stability and Israeli national security,” and calls on the international community to “make it clear to Jordan that both peace and integration of its own citizens are not privileges it is giving away to Israel or any other country.“
Posted in Human Rights, Jordan, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine | Comment »
Palestine: No Parties for Democracy
July 26th, 2010 by Jennifer
Johnathan Tobin writing at Commentary critiques a recent opinion piece by Mustafa Barghouthi on canceled municipal elections in the West Bank and the discouraging lack of prospects for Palestinian democracy. Tobin agrees with Barghouthi that the Middle East peace process cannot ultimately succeed unless a democratic Palestinian state first comes into existence. However, Tobin rejects Barghouthi’s criticism of Western governments for backing the Palestinian Authority’s decision to cancel the elections as the root cause of the lack of progress on this issue, arguing instead that the source of the problem lies in the non-democratic “culture of Palestinian politics.” He proposes that neither of the two dominant parties– Hamas and Fatah –embraces real democracy, but instead both adhere to the principle of “one man, one vote, one time,” while also encouraging violence against Israel. The West rightly should not accept such governments as legitimate, Tobin says, adding that “until the dominant Palestinian factions actually embrace democracy — and give up violence — peace is nowhere in sight.”
Meanwhile, reports indicated that the Obama administration has upgraded its diplomatic recognition of the PA in the U.S. to “delegation general,” affording it the same status as Canada and some western European states. Jennifer Rubin writing at Commentary criticizes the move, arguing that “a peace deal and a PA government won’t be happening anytime soon unless Abbas and other Palestinian leaders stop inciting violence, give up the dream of a one-state solution (i.e., a demographic swamping of the Jewish state), and build some civil institutions capable of managing the Palestinians’ own affairs.”
Posted in Elections, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Palestine: No Hope for Democracy?
July 22nd, 2010 by Farid
Mustafa Barghouthi writes at Foreign Policy that the “unjustified, unlawful, and unacceptable act” of canceling municipal elections in the West Bank scheduled for July 17, represented a tremendous setback in Palestinian democratization and made a “mockery of the interests of the Palestinian people.” According to the Palestinian Authority, the elections were canceled “in order to pave the way for a successful end to the siege on Gaza and for continued efforts at unity” between governments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Barghouthi, however, argues that all Palestinian parties, except for Hamas, know that without “healing the division between the West Bank and Gaza,” neither parliamentary nor presidential elections will be possible. To attain such an outcome, he says, it was very important to hold the municipal elections on time, in order to “remind each and every authority that they are accountable to the people.” He explains that along with Hamas’s refusal to hold elections in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority’s decision to cancel the elections in the West Bank created “great dismay among the people.” He also analyzes “the meaning of ’state-building,’” arguing that this concept includes much more than “new construction projects, big government buildings, and a larger security apparatus.” Nevertheless, he argues that the democratic shortcomings in Palestine should not “be used by Israel as an excuse for the continued subjugation of the Palestinians in the occupied territories.”
In another insightful piece at the Arab Reform Bulletin, Omran Risheq argues that Fatah– which is struggling to restore its “damaged status” while also dealing with internal divisions –was left with two options: either to cancel the elections, or to undergo another electoral defeat by Hamas. According to Risheq, Hamas leaders are aware that Fatah needs the local elections in Gaza and thus “want to deny it any escape from its current predicament.” In the West Bank, however, Hamas has attempted to justify its refusal to participate in the elections under the argument that the Palestinian Authority has taken repressive steps that have damaged the “basic prerequisites for free and fair elections reflecting the voters’ will, such as freedom of speech, the right to peaceful assembly, and freedom of association,” and that the PA has not provided a “guarantee of free political activity for all parties.”
Posted in Elections, Palestine, Political Parties | 1 Comment »
No Democracy for Palestine?
July 16th, 2010 by Jennifer
Jonathan Schanzer and Asaf Romirowsky writing for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) question the future of democracy in Palestine. Noting that the Palestinian Authority (PA) decided last month to indefinitely postpone West Bank municipal elections that were scheduled for this Saturday, July 17, Schanzer and Romirowsky observe that ruling party Fatah’s motivation for the cancellation was that leaders could not agree on the candidates they wanted to field, but more importantly, that they “feared another electoral humiliation” similar to the one suffered at the hands of Hamas in 2006. Arguing that the civil war between Hamas and Fatah “puts the Palestinians in a state of limbo” the authors suggest that the current situation reverses a once-growing trend of Palestinian democratic tradition. In that light, they ask, “How can the U.S., in good faith, sponsor a state that would not be a functioning democracy? If the Obama administration wants to continue to hold out hope for Palestinian statehood, it must find a way to revive the flat-lining Palestinian political system.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Elections, Hamas, Palestine, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
Palestine: PA’s Hands Tied on Talks by Palestinian Public Opinion
July 12th, 2010 by Jennifer
James Zogby writing at Foreign Policy quotes a recent interview conducted with PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on his weekly television show Viewpoint with James Zogby. According to Zogby, Ashrawi critiqued the recent meeting between U.S. President Barak Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that moving to direct talks on the peace process when no tangible progress has been made is not feasible for Palestinian leaders, who would lose credibility with their constituency. Zogby notes that Ashrawi pointed to a lack of U.S. understanding of the democratic dynamics of Palestinian government: she stated, “‘They pay attention to Israeli democracy and public opinion and coalition requirements but they do not pay attention to the fact that the Palestinians have a very vibrant and active democracy and very active and outspoken public opinion, and they have to understand [Palestinian President] Abbas does not have a free hand to just make unilateral single decisions like that in a vacuum.”
Zogby highlights Ashrawi’s concern that a “disconnect” separates the U.S-Israel approach and the Palestinian approach to talks. Ashrawi argued that Israel and the U.S. seek to present at least the image of movement on the peace process through initiating talks, while the Palestinian population has no interest in such gestures as long as they feel that no real progress is being made on the ground, since Israel continues to take actions that undermine the two-state vision, such as building settlements. Calling Palestinian public opinion “highly inflamed.. very intelligent, very well informed, and very critical” of the situation, Ashrawi predicted that the talks will fail unless the U.S. is prepared to curb Israeli policies, according to Zogby’s report.
Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Public Opinion | Comment »
Palestine: It’s Not Just About Economics
July 6th, 2010 by Farid
In a new piece in Foreign Policy, Carnegie’s Michele Dunne argues that any U.S. efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process have to go far beyond simple economic agendas. She proposes that U.S. policy on this issue revolves around two basic, yet false assumptions: first, that negotiations between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will eventually “outmaneuver Hamas”; and second, that international funding will enable Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to build more efficient and stronger institutions
Pointing out the internal divide between the Hamas-led Gaza and Fatah-controlled West Bank, Dunne explains that “without a unified Palestinian community behind him or even a valid electoral mandate, Abbas cannot take risks in negotiations with Israel.” She also notes that “Fayyad’s hands are tied in building durable, democratic institutions” due to a variety of reasons, including the inability of the legislative branch to convene for over 3 years. Dunne suggests that U.S. policy has historically exacerbated such problems of illigitimacy and ineffectiveness through its “inclination to delay, ignore, or manipulate internal Palestinian politics in the service of short-term goals related to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.” Instead, Dunne proposes promoting Palestinian reconciliation as the key to Gaza’s future and the peace process.
In that regard, Dunne makes the following suggestions for U.S. policy: first, prioritizing “Palestinian reconciliation and institution-building”; and second, supporting efforts for a power-sharing arrangement between Gaza and the West Bank. Dunne argues that as long as the emerging Palestinian government is dedicated to achieving peace and allows the PLO to negotiate with the Israelis, the U.S. should not reject a Palestinian “modus vivendi” even if it fails to fulfill some of the principles laid out by the Middle East Quartet.
Posted in Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, US foreign policy | Comment »
Palestine: Building a State
July 2nd, 2010 by Farid
Nathan J. Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, recently wrote a commentary for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in which he argues that the Palestinian Authority is no longer united and is therefore facing significant political challenges ahead. “While a diplomatic process will be necessary to turn a de facto state into a de jure one, that task will be made much easier if there is a functioning Palestinian state-like apparatus on the ground,” Brown explains. However, there is little sign of a Palestinian state so far, he argues. (Read the full pdf version of the commentary here).
Brown also points out President Salam Fayyad’s hollow attempt to build institutions, saying that more institution building occurred during Yasser Arafat’s presidency. Brown mentions that Fayyad’s efforts cannot be recognized as an “indefinite substitute for real statehood.” As long as Palestine is not a sovereign state, institution building will not be as effective as hoped, he proclaims. Brown also criticizes Fayyad’s institution program, claiming that it is founded “not simply on de-emphasizing or postponing democracy and human rights but on actively denying them for the present.” In Brown’s recent visits to Palestine, he witnessed little “institutional development on the ground.” Instead of institution building, Fayyad has been more successful in focusing on maintaining and creating “greater competence and efficiency in selected bureaucratic locations,” Brown says.
Considering that Fayyad’s term as well as the parliament’s have expired, and that there is no clear indication of future elections, Brown argues that democracy has come to an end in the Palestinian Authority. “To the extent that Fayyadism is building institutions, it is unmistakably doing so in an authoritarian context,” he says
Posted in Palestine | Comment »
Lebanon: Second Draft for Palestinian Rights Ready
June 24th, 2010 by Farid
Yesterday, the Lebanese parliament finalized the second draft of amendments for labor, social security and property rights to Palestinian refugees, according to a new piece in The Daily Star. The draft law grants Palestinians civil and social rights “equal to those to [sic] Lebanese citizens but rejects their naturalization by denying them the right to Lebanese nationality.” The refusal to allow Palestinians to become naturalized citizens excludes them from filling public state positions or running for political office. Some in parliament, including MP from Hezbollah, Amal, and Democratic Gathering, argued that the amendments are not only necessary from the political and administrative side, but also from a humanitarian perspective, in order to grant Palestinians basic human and civil rights.
On that note, secretary general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Filipo Grandi, praised the negotiations held in the Lebanese Parliament, stating that “this has nothing to do with ‘tawtine’ [naturalization] – refugees will stay refugees even if their conditions improve.” Nevertheless, Grandi stressed that the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp must be reconstructed after the destruction that came as a result of the 2007 fight between Lebanese Armed Forces and Fatah al-Islam. While funding for reconstruction is currently at a low, the Israeli blockade of Gaza has only worsened the situation. 80 percent of the 1.5 million inhabitants in Gaza are dependent solely on UN aid, according to The Daily Star. This in turn has cut down funding for UNRWA’s mission in Lebanon.
Posted in Human Rights, Lebanon, Palestine, Reform, United Nations | Comment »
Palestine: “If You Build The State, It Will Come”
June 18th, 2010 by Farid
In a very interesting new piece in Foreign Policy, Hussein Ibish diverts the general attention from the Gaza flotilla to Palestinian domestic developments. According to Ibish, Palestinian financers are have been meeting in Bethlehem for the second Palestine Investment Conference, “in which Palestinians are increasingly turning to the mundane, workaday tools of governance and development as their principal strategy for ending the occupation.”
Most notable of these domestic developments is the commitment to build institutions in order to enhance state administration, infrastructure, and economic goals. “The idea is that, if you build the state, it will come,” says Ibish. Ibish argues that by depending on a bottom-up strategy rather than waiting for American and Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state, Palestinians are able to determine their own future. The motivation is very simple, Ibish argues – self-determination and self-governance.
According to Ibish, there are significant tangible developments: the establishment of two new telecommunication companies, the first planned Palestinian city, and a growth rate of 8.5 percent in the West Bank last year. Additionally, half of the Palestinian Authority’s budget comes from Palestinian taxes rather than international economic support, he explains. Nevertheless, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are still in disagreement over the Palestinian identity and objectives and “the future of Hamas will likely be determined by the success or failure of the PA’s state-building project, and its diplomatic efforts,” Ibish explains.
However, Ibish’s assessment of the future is not entirely reliant on the domestic political forces in Palestine. Instead he argues that according to the World Bank and IMF, the development and prospects for a viable state are limited as long as Israeli occupation of the territories continues.
Posted in Hamas, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine | Comment »
