Writing the Palestinians want their own state less than they wish to not have Israel as a neighbor, legal expert Alan Dershowitz says it is up to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to listen to reason from the new "Mideast Marshall Plan."
"This has been the history of Palestinian leaders from the beginning: They seem to care less about helping their people and more about hurting Israel," Dershowitz wrote in an editorial to The Hill. "They seem to want their own state less than they want there not to be a neighboring nation-state of the Jewish people."
The White House proposed $50 billion in economic aid – "more than half for Palestinians," Dershowitz wrote – but "Palestinian leaders rejected it before the ink was dry," Dershowitz wrote.
"The bottom line is that if Palestinian leaders were to accept — or at least sit down and negotiate about — the proposed peace plan, they could quickly improve the quality of life of their people," he added. "This could lead to a two-state solution that would be a win-win for all sides.
". . . If [Abbas] persists in his refusal to negotiate, he and his people will have no one but themselves to blame for the persistence of an untenable status quo. The U.S. has presented the first phase of its plan. It's an excellent, fair start.
"The ball is now in the Palestinian court. They should reconsider their knee-jerk rejection and begin negotiations that may be the only road to statehood."
Palestinians are never going to attain their desire to not have Israel as a neighbor, and their absence of free media might keep the benefits of the proposal out of the minds of their people, Dershowitz wrote.
"Well, they are not going to accomplish that goal despite their rockets and terrorism, BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) or U.N. condemnation," he wrote. "Israel will continue to thrive. It is strong militarily, economically, diplomatically and in other ways.
"Palestinians must come to recognize the reality that Israel is here to stay, whether they like it or not. The remaining question is whether there will ever be a viable Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. That is largely up to Palestinians."
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