"For decades, opponents of American foreign policy have been able to raise the Palestinian cause as proof the United States isn't trustworthy"

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_64749368-3983-11e0-bd4b-001cc4c03286.html

Expert to discuss Palestinian, Israeli policy at University of Montana

By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian missoulian.com | Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 9:30 pm

While Egypt and Tunisia have been overwhelmed by rapid change in recent months, negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders appear as bogged down as they've ever been.

That could change with some key American investments, according to American Task Force on Palestine senior research fellow Hussein Ibish. The World Affairs Council of Montana brought Ibish to speak on the subject Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the third-floor ballroom of the University of Montana's University Center.

"There's nothing we could do anywhere in the world that would accomplish as much as settling the Palestinian question," Ibish said Tuesday. "And the biggest failure we've had has been in failing to resolve this small thing."

For decades, opponents of American foreign policy have been able to raise the Palestinian cause as proof the United States isn't trustworthy, he said. For radicals of many stripes, "it's the gift that keeps on giving - it colors everything we do in a negative way."

Both the Palestinian and Israeli leadership have been in disarray for the past several years. While the Palestinians have seen their government split between the old-guard Palestinian Liberation Organization and the more radical Hamas movement, Israel's government has wavered over the issues of expanding Jewish settlements into occupied parts of the country and immobilizing Palestinian society with walls and checkpoints.

Ibish called for supporting a program of "state building" in Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This involves building hospitals, schools, business centers and a security force that can give Palestinian people the trappings of a stable society. As those institutions become more robust and customary, Ibish argued, Israel would have a better sense of what an independent Palestinian state would look like.

"This is not development aid - it's political, it sets the stage for diplomacy down the line," Ibish said. "I'm just talking about intensifying something that's already happening. It bolsters the moderates in society, and makes Israel feel better about the possibilities for resolution. It's the first new idea in 15 years."

Ibish's lecture is open to the public. Admission is $5 or free for members of the World Affairs Council and students.

Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com.