Is the PA ready for statehood? According to the UN, yes!
The only impediment to the nation-building prowess of the PA: the Israeli occupation!
Does that strike you as funny?
According to a report issued by the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority has made enough progress in six different areas to enable them to run a state. It listed the six areas as rule of law and human rights; livelihoods; education and culture; health; social protection; and infrastructure and water.
Rule of law?! The PA hasn’t done a very good job of that in Gaza, where they lost control to Hamas in 2007. Terror has been rampant ever since.
Livelihood? I thought Palestinians were all dirt-poor and lived in refugee camps – you know, those pictures the Western media is so fond of?
Education and culture? Government-run children’s TV shows in the West Bank and Gaza teach children to be “martyrs” against Israel, and many schools, soccer fields, and other public buildings are named in honor of terrorists.
Social protection? Yes, I’ll grant that the PA and Hamas have created an excellent environment for the social protection of terrorists. Jihadists, hiding behind civilians in the midst of a dense urban jungle, are rather difficult for Israel to target and take out, especially without garnering criticism for civilian deaths. And did you know that one out of three Palestinians applaud the recent brutal massacre of the Fogel family in Israel? No wonder terrorists can operate with impunity in these areas.
Regarding infrastructure and water, if the PA has made any progress in these areas it has been with Israel’s assistance, via the several partnerships the two have come to for the development of PA services. And yet the UN has the audacity to say the Israeli “occupation” which “stifles Palestinian life” will make significant progress towards PA statehood difficult! Because the Israelis enjoy having unstable neighbors who cut their throats at night and shoot stuff at their civilians?!? Because they like the reigning disorder and chaos in the Palestinian areas, and want to keep things that way? I think not…
I believe the world needs to come together to tell the Palestinians to stop deluding themselves. They are always crying “Land for peace! Give us a state, and we’ll be good!”. Well, I propose peace for land, and a state based on good behavior. When the PA tears down its monuments to terrorists; when Hamas recognizes Israel’s right to exist; when the government stops inciting its people to bloodshed and begins cracking down on those who seek to take innocent life; then, and only then, should the world even consider trusting them with a state of their own. Jesus said it best:
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10.
When the PA is faithful in what they have, then –maybe– they’ll get more.
RELATED LINKS:
• Palestinian Media Watch
• Palestinians to Tell West They are Ready for Statehood – Reuters
Middle East Musings 