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Middle East Analysis

Strengthening Abbas and Fayyad

By Walter Isaacson, chief executive, Aspen Institute; chair, U.S.-Palestinian Partnership (The Washington Post)

posted on 03/05/08

The rocket attacks on Israel launched by Hamas militants in Gaza, coupled with Israel’s retaliation, have disrupted peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. This is a great victory for the radicals in Hamas, who never wanted such talks. While visiting the region this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is trying to remind everyone that the real goal is to weaken Hamas.

One way to do that is to strengthen its moderate Palestinian opponents. … It requires creating business and educational opportunities in the West Bank, where there has been increasing stability and security cooperation with Israel since [Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad has been in charge. Such efforts are already underway. Tony Blair, as a special envoy to the region, has been working to enlist donor nations to keep the Palestinian Authority afloat and to create industrial zones in the West Bank where foreign businesses can safely set up shop. And the State Department has set up a U.S.-Palestinian Partnership, which I chair, designed to coordinate government and private-sector efforts to provide job opportunities, youth training centers and business investment. …

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak believe fervently that economic development in the West Bank is in Israel’s interest … Olmert, Barak and their Israeli colleagues will have to take risks to make this work. The business conference, and economic investments generally, will succeed only if goods and people can move more freely. That will require lifting some of the checkpoints in areas where there has been security cooperation and streamlining some border crossings. Access the full article>>