World News and Trends: The Palestinian people: poorly prepared for statehood
In spite of its UN bid for statehood, the Palestinian Authority (PA) remains thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional.
The presence of Hamas and Fatah, dangerous terrorist groups attached to the PA, is enormously hurtful to the ordinary citizen's life.
Middle East Forum director Efraim Karsh, professor of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at King's College London, observed, "Following statehood [were it achieved], even if [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas were to make a genuine commitment to reform, Hamas would continue to defy his tenuous authority; not only does the group rule the Gaza Strip, which it has transformed into an Islamist micro-state, but it also wields considerable power in the West Bank" ("There Is No Palestinian State," Middle East Forum, Sept. 16, 2011).
Hamas actually opposes the statehood effort because it fears that a Palestinian state will ultimately have to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. Moreover, the late PA leader Yasser Arafat acknowledged that his people "lacked the traditions, unity and discipline to have a successful state" (ibid.).
Two thirds of those who would be part of a new Palestinian state believe that Abbas' unilateral appeal for statehood would not have a positive effect on their own status. A report in USA Today showed that "Arab residents of Israel [were] split on being part of a new state" (Michele Chabin, "Mixed Feelings in East Jerusalem," Sept. 21, 2011). Those who enjoy Israeli social benefits with freedom to travel across Israel's pre-1967 borders would generally prefer citizenship in Israel to citizenship in a new state.
Paradoxically, it was during Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank—before Arafat assumed control in 1993—that the Arabs living in those areas made substantial economic progress and markedly improved the quality of their lives. At that time the Palestinian Civil Authority presided over the fourth-fastest-growing economy on the globe. Life expectancy improved considerably, and infant mortality declined remarkably. Sadly, after 1993 Palestinian leaders soon seriously undermined these positive trends.
According to Karsh, the prospects following the coveted statehood would be "increased conflict with Israel and a deepening rift in an already divided Palestinian society." (Sources: Middle East Forum, USA Today.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2011
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
