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Bush's Egyptian Challenge

(Ha'aretz) Amir Oren - "Two states for two nations" is a nice but unsatisfactory slogan, because in all of western Eretz Israel, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, there is not enough room for the 10, 15, or 20 million Israelis and Palestinians who will be living here within a few years' time. The obvious direction for expansion is seemingly to the east, to the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. Jordan may well become a Palestinian state one day, but that will happen by means of elections rather than battles. The chances of Jordan surviving as a monarchy are slim, but change may not necessarily occur in the near future because American-Israeli policy will safeguard the Hashemites from falling - security first and democracy afterward. The only natural expanse for the surplus Palestinian population is in northern Sinai. A new and comfortable Gaza Strip can be duplicated along this strip of coast, comparable in quality to the French and Italian Riviera. The difficulty lies in Egyptian sovereignty over Sinai. Egypt is 1,450,000 square kilometers in size, with the Egyptian coastline 2,450 kilometers long. Little would be detracted if Palestinians are settled along a small part of it, from where they can give the Egyptian economy a shot in the arm. The land could remain Egyptian and be leased to Palestine.
2003-12-16 00:00:00
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