Palestine, Never?

The Arab League's given up, says Agence France Press:

"I do not see any change in the positions of Israel, the United States and their allies or that the situation is going to calm down. I don't see a glimmer of hope," Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa said. There is "not a glimmer of hope" for the creation of a true Palestinian state, the head of the Arab League said, dismissing growing hopes that the moribund peace process is on the verge of recovery.

Speaking to the Egyptian state daily Al-Ahram, Mussa warned against the temptation of giving the Palestinians statehood that turns out to be based on no more than a rump state.

"I fear that all that is going to be proposed to the Palestinians is the creation of a rump state of a provisional nature which is just ridiculous because by consolidating the status quo a time-bomb is being laid," he said.

"If there is a true desire to establish a Palestinian state in line with the roadmap then Israel must give the Palestinians 90 percent of the occupied territories as well as east Jerusalem and it must stop settlements," he said.

As Charles Johnson notes, why should America and the West support a Palestinian state so long as campaign workers look like this:


Palestinian supporters of Mahmoud Abbas (click to enlarge)

Here's AP's photo caption:

Gunmen from the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militia linked to the Fatah movement, hold their weapons in the West Bank town of Jenin Tuesday Dec. 28, 2004 during a rally in support of Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah candidate to the upcoming Palestinian presidential elections. The elections are scheduled for Jan. 9, 2005. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

Do these guys appear ready for a state and to accept the continued existence of Israel?

More:

NRO's Victor Davis Hanson on Arafat's legacy:

President Bush was criticized by many Democrats on both practical and political grounds for ostracizing Yasser Arafat, the past beneficiary of a rigged vote. Yet most are silent now about the news that local elections are now taking place for the first time in nearly a decade. Why voting all of a sudden now? Was the president right in seeing the removal of this so-called national liberationist as a key to democratic change on the West Bank?