The tragic July 6 incident in which a Palestinian man seized control of an Israeli bus and forced it into a ravine, killing 14 people, only crystallized emotions on both sides that have been building for months--if not years. Outraged Israelis took to the streets to assail even their own leaders and labeled the perpetrator a terrorist, while Palestinians hailed the Gaza Strip man who caused the incident as a hero.
Can these two angry peoples be reconciled to the point that they can live side by side in peace--if not as neighbors in the same towns, then at least as neighboring states? What role have the superpowers played in bringing about the present impasse and what is their responsibility? Is a Palestinian state economically viable? Should all the Palestinians now dispersed around the world be allowed to live there? These questions have been given new urgency by the intifada or uprising of the past 21 months. This month's Special Report brings together a variety of views on the prospects for a Palestinian state.
Since 1917, when the British promised to create a "Jewish home in Palestine," Jews and Palestinians have had contradictory visions of the land they call their own. As Ambassador Robert Neumann points out, "agreement on peace cannot be the result of a single concept of justice's prevailing, but only of a compromise that one or both sides, certainly parts of both sides, will regard as unjust." If such a solution is not found, he warns, extremism and violence will escalate, and security will continue to elude both Israelis and Arabs alike.
In reviewing the positions of the various Israeli political groups regarding the creation of a Palestinian state, journalist Steve Rodan notes that in the end, the issue comes down to one question: Can Israel trust Palestinian intentions? "So far," he concludes, "most Israelis have their doubts," particularly in view of the violence of the intifada in the West Bank and Gaza.
Looking at the other side of the coin, Palestinian journalist Bishara Bahbah emphasizes the positive aspects of the intifada for the Palestinian cause. He is skeptical that Israel will end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip unless it is "made to pay a heavy price," and he foresees an escalation of violence until that point comes.
Sheila Ryan, director of the Middle East Peace Network, evaluates the prospects for the establishment of a Palestinian state and concludes that, despite a host of political and economic pitfalls ahead, the outlook is bright.
Also optimistic is Joel Bainerman, an economics journalist who points to the many areas of economic cooperation between Jews and Arabs. He quotes, for example, one Arab who is co-owner of an Arab-Jewish joint venture: "Both peoples are risk-takers and entrepreneurial-minded. All we're waiting for is one big joint venture in the political arena."
Frank E. Vandiver, director of the Mosher Institute for Defense Studies at Texas A&M University, points out that both superpowers "have shown renewed vigor" in recent months in their search for a solution to the Palestinian problem. Soviet goals are in many respects similar to those espoused by the Bush administration, he says, with the main difference between the two plans being the nature of the
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