A Palestinian state? In Jordan they know something the West refuses to understand | Yoram Ettinger

Yoram Ettinger argues that the West places great weight on moderate Palestinian rhetoric, while Arab countries are aware of the gap between the rhetoric and violent actions. He cites historical examples of Palestinian subversion and terrorism, and concludes that despite Arab rhetoric supporting a Palestinian state, Arab action refrains from supporting its establishment. Ettinger warns against Western assessments that Islamic terrorism stems from despair, and emphasizes its religious and ideological roots.

In his article, Yoram Ettinger argues that the Western focus on the idea of a Palestinian state stems from placing great weight on moderate Palestinian rhetoric, intended for Israel and the West. In contrast, he says, Arab countries are aware of the deep and systematic gap between the moderate rhetoric and violent actions. He cites historical examples of Palestinian subversion and terrorism in cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood against Arab governments, an attempt to overthrow the Jordanian government in 1970, civil wars in Lebanon, assistance to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, and cooperation with violent regimes. Ettinger concludes that despite Arab rhetoric supporting a Palestinian state, Arab action refrains from supporting its establishment, as proven during the Jordanian and Egyptian rule in Judea and Samaria and Gaza (1948-1967) and the fate of the 'All-Palestine Government'. He warns against the Western assessment that Islamic terrorism is driven by despair, and emphasizes that it is driven by religion and ideology, as evidenced by the founding documents of Fatah and the PLO. The article calls for examining precedents and fundamental ideological conditions before assessing that a Palestinian state would be democratic and peace-seeking.