Let the Palis stew in their own juice of poverty and oppression for a few years, hitting them very hard every time they make attacks on Israel. Tell them that is what they wanted and earned for not being willing to make a compromise peace with Israel. Tell them they will get nothing until they wise up and make peace. Such a peace will not include Jerusalen and will not include any return of “refugees”. And cut off all the money they get from the West. If the have to work or starve they will have no time for terrorism if they must earn their bread by working. Of course, the Iranians and the Palis’ “Brother Arabs” might chip in to the Pali welfare state, but they are all notoriously skinflint and their Brother Arabs despise and hate the Palis more than the Israelis do. I doubt the Palis will get much from them, certainly not enough to provide the graft for the bigshots and still have enough left for taking care of the people. Gotta get those priorities straight, you know.

Yes, Yasir Arafat rejected it at the time, and even the Israelis never fully embraced the plan as it was, but everyone knew then and knows now that the Clinton plan is the only realistic framework for peace. The Bush team took the view that since Arafat wouldn’t accept it, the Clinton plan was a dead letter and therefore could be and should be forever sidelined. They also put themselves on the sidelines of Arab-Israeli diplomacy for six years, rather than sell anything with the name “Clinton” on it.

When the Palestinians rejected the “only realistic formula for peace” and President Bush realized (for six years) that there was no point in getting involved in fruitless diplomacy, Friedman mocked President Bush. Now after a mere nine months of pandering to the Palestinians and having them demonstrate no interest in the “only realistic formula for peace,” Friedman says “enough, this isn’t working.” (Of course, he directs gratuitous criticisms towards Israel.)