THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XIII, Issue # 53, February 21, 2011
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
DOES THE ARAB WORLD TRULY WANT A "PALESTINE"?
A Summary Account of Efraim Karsh's
Briefing to the Middle East Forum
By Alessandra Grace
WHAT THE LEAKED PALESTINE PAPERS REVEAL ABOUT ARAB & PALESTINIAN ASPIRATIONS FOR A PALESTINIAN
STATE -- THE ANALYSIS EFRAIM KARSH: THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP & THE NEIGHBORING ARAB STATES HAVE
NEVER BEEN GENUINELY INTERESTED IN CREATING AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN STATE.
FULL STORY:
Dr. Efraim Karsh is Editor of the Middle East Quarterly and Professor of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies
at King's College London. He served as an intelligence officer in the Israel Defense Forces for seven years before
obtaining graduate and doctoral degrees in International Relations from Tel Aviv University. He is the author of fifteen
books, including Arafat's War, Islamic Imperialism, and most recently Palestine Betrayed. On
January 25, 2011, he addressed the Middle East Forum on what the leaked Palestine Papers reveal about Arab
and Palestinian aspirations for a Palestinian state.
According to Dr. Karsh, the documents recently released from Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations shed some light on
the position of the Palestinian leadership and neighboring Arab states toward the creation of a Palestinian state. By
tracing the history of both parties, Dr. Karsh stated that neither party has ever been, nor is, truly interested in forming a
Palestinian state.
He began by discussing the Arab states, arguing that they have never wanted a Palestinian state and have done the
utmost to sabotage its formation. He noted that, in the 1920s, both Jordan and Syria attempted to annex the territory of
Palestine for themselves. He further observed that, while this is not entirely surprising, it is surprising that Palestinian
leaders themselves appear to not want an independent state either.
In support of this point, he outlined the history of Palestinian leadership from the founding of the PLO. For example,
Arafat had opportunities to establish a state in both 1993, with the Oslo Accords, and 2000, with the Camp David
meeting. In 1993, he "made sure it would be a failure," and in 2000 he rejected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer,
opting for war.
Lastly, Dr. Karsh addressed the leaked documents. He emphasized the fact that their authenticity have yet to be verified,
and that the Palestinian leadership has denied their validity. He underscored that, if they are authentic, they may indicate
that Palestinian leadership has started thinking in terms of statehood. Yet, the most interesting part of the documents
has been the reaction to them: the Arab world has dished out criticism and accused the leadership of betraying the
Palestinian cause, even though the concessions they agreed to were minimal in comparison to those agreed to in
exchange by Israel. For those who do want a two-state solution, Dr. Karsh concluded, the documents could serve as a
glimmer of hope.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Israel & the Arabs -- The Israeli-Arab Conflict
Middle East -- Arabs, Arab States,
& Their Middle Eastern Neighbors
American Foreign Policy -- The Middle East
Islamism & Jihadism -- Radical Islam & Islamic Terrorism
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
International Politics & World Disorder:
War, Peace, & Geopolitics in the Real World:
Foreign Affairs & U.S. National Security
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Alessandra Grace is an intern at the Middle East Forum.
The foregoing article by Alessandra Grace can be found on the Internet website maintained by the Middle East Forum,
a foreign policy think tank which seeks to define and promote American interests in the Middle East, defining U.S.
interests to include fighting radical Islam, working for Palestinian Arab acceptance of the State of Israel, improving the
management of U.S. efforts to promote constitutional democracy in the Middle East, reducing America's energy
dependence on the Middle East, more robustly asserting U.S. interests vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, and countering the
Iranian threat.
(URL: http://www.meforum.org/2836/palestine-arab- world)
Republished with Permission of the Middle East Forum
Reprinted from the Middle East Forum News
mefnews@meforum.org (MEF NEWS)
February 21, 2011
Return to Top of Page
Go to the WEBSITE INDEX
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Public Issues & Political Controversies
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
Most Recent Articles
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Volume XIII, 2011
Return to Beginning of
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA,
Subject Matter Highlights
Return to POLITICAL EDUCATION Homepage
CONTACT & ACCESS INFORMATION
This is not a commercial website. The sole purpose of the website is to share with interested persons information regarding civics,
civic and social education, political science, government, politics, law, constitutional law and history, public policy and political
philosophy and history, as well as current and recent political developments, public issues, and political controversies.
POLITICAL EDUCATION, CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS
POLITICS, SOCIETY, & THE SOVEREIGN STATE
Website of Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.
Government, Politics, Public Policy, Legal Issues, Constitutional Law, Government & the Economy, Cultural Values, Foreign Affairs,
International Relations, Military Defense & National Security, Geopolitics, Terrorism & Homeland Security, American National Interests,
Political Systems & Processes, Political Institutions, Political Ideologies, & Political Philosophy
INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE WEBSITE
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity