Former Israeli Diplomat Alon Pinkas supported the idea of Palestinian state-building from the “ground up” but rejected as unfeasible a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood, he said in an interview with Middle East Progress. Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad recently expressed the need for Palestinians to develop preliminary institutions needed for a future independent state, including a vibrant economy. Pinkas declared broad support in Israel for Fayyad’s institution building declaration but stated that any independent Palestinian state erected within the next year would fail due to the lack of transparency and stunted economic growth. Pinkas said:
“Fayyad said two things, one that Israelis found very encouraging and another that Israelis found very curious or peculiar. The encouraging thing was that Fayyad said, ‘we need to build institutions, and processes and an economy that would make a future Palestinian state viable.’ And I think that idea cuts through left and right in Israel as a good idea. Because the last thing you want is a failed Palestinian state. Right now, a Palestinian state, if established in the next six to twelve months, is almost guaranteed to be a failed state.
The less encouraging thing that he said was that, ‘we, the Palestinians, intend to unilaterally declare or proclaim independence.’ I think that was more of a political maneuver than an actual expression of intent…
I mean in the event that a Palestinian state were to be established in the immediate future, say the next six to twelve months—with Hamas still controlling Gaza, with no transparent political institutions and with a very shaky or unstable economy—then that state would fail, as is the political science definition of a failed state. That is a development that is not only adverse for the Palestinians, obviously, naturally and predictably, but a bad option for Israel. I’m not patronizing the Palestinians. I’m not suggesting that I’ll decide when they are ready for a state. This is not neo-colonialism in neither attitude nor policy. I’m just saying that there are real and clear security issues involved and Israelis are very anxious and apprehensive – given the bloody experience of the last ten years – about what happens when the Palestinians fail to govern.”
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On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
