New disorder in Gaza

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New disorder in Gaza
Haaretz Editorial
September 9, 2005

Next week, something of great moment will take place in the Middle East: The State of Israel will leave the Gaza Strip. Although this will not be the first Israeli withdrawal from Arab territory, it is nevertheless unique: It will be Israel's first full withdrawal from Palestinian territory, and an important stage on the road to establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state that will live in peace alongside Israel.

If one accepts the view that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the heart of the Israeli-Arab conflict, then the transfer of Gaza to the Palestinians, free of settlements and Israeli troops, goes far beyond a mere shortening of the lines or a tactical move a few kilometers eastward.

There is something that cannot be denied: Israel is giving. What is less clear is the other side of the equation: whether the Palestinians are taking. The Palestinians have never controlled territory of their own. The state that refused to allow itself to be established under the 1947 United Nations partition resolution, and that then lost the subsequent war, was split between Jordanian annexation and Egyptian military rule. The Palestinians received their first opportunity at self-government from the Oslo process. The results were disappointing. The Palestinians lacked the wisdom to organize strong, clean, transparent central institutions that would be obeyed by the various sectors, regions and forces contending against one another.

Now, the Palestinians are being given a chance to erase that first impression. This time, the circumstances are fateful. The world, under the leadership of U.S. President George W. Bush, is united behind the desire for coexistence between two neighboring states, Israel and Palestine. To achieve this, the international community is willing to invest not only diplomatic effort, but also aid totaling billions of dollars over the course of several years.

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