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I Can’t Believe They’re Still Debating “Linkage”
December 1, 2010 · Mustapha Hamoui
“Linkage” is the idea that peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will help solve other problems in the Middle East and make things better for other US interests.
To me, the very fact that smart people are debating whether this exists or not is weird. So many problems in the Middle East can be traced back to the Israeli Palestinian drama. Hezbollah’s weapons would no longer have a moral justification, Syria would mellow down, Iran would lose a cause celebre that is helping its ascendancy, Arab dictators would lose Israel as an excuse for repression..etc
The issue is not whether linkage exists or not. The problem is that peace itself (the fair and comprehensive kind) is maddeningly difficult to achieve.