Israel's hope for future leadership

Daniel Pipes replies:

I admire Ya'alon and hope he will have an important post in the next government – but, as articulated in his main statement, "Israel and the Palestinians: A New Strategy," he does not seek victory over the Palestinians. Rather, Ya'alon seeks to reform the Palestinian Authority so that it can better control territory, improve its law enforcement, strengthen its judicial authority, acquire a democratic spirit, and improve the quality of life of its population. "Economic convalescence, an effective rule of law, and democratization are essential conditions," he writes, "for the rehabilitation of Palestinian society." He concludes that a reorganization of Palestinian society in accordance with his ideas "could feasibly serve as the foundation for a future settlement that would realize some of the hopes that were pinned on the Oslo process." His goal, in short, is not victory but another attempt at Oslo-style compromise and resolution.