Ex-Australian PM: US Must Ensure Viable Palestinian Statehood in the War Against Terrorism
Read here full article in ABC On-Line "Nothing effective can be done while the festering sore of the Palestinian problem continues. This issue is used to encapsulate and dramatise the enemy syndrome, with America and its deemed supporters cast as the villains. Everything that has been tried at this point has not worked. If anything, the situation is now in many respects worse than it has ever been.
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke on Thursday said that the fight against terrorism will NOT succeed unless the United States leads efforts to create a viable Palestinian state.
Mr Hawke told delegates at a Global Peace Forum in Malaysia:
Mr Hawke said it was crucial to use a new approach to the Palestinian crisis "which cries out for resolution in terms of the aspirations of Palestinians themselves and the security of the region. "
It is not argued that resolving this issue, of itself, resolves the challenge of international terrorism, but that it is a sine qua non (essential element) for meeting that challenge.
The political shell of a state without a viable and a vibrant economy is a recipe for even greater disaster.
While there is no hope among the young for jobs and a constructive development of their talents, there will be no shortage of recruits for the martyrdom of the suicide bomber."
Mr Hawke said the lack of jobs and dismal living standards for Palestinians "is a breeding ground for despair and worse".
Mr Hawke also said the United States, along with other countries in Europe and the Middle East and the World Bank should help provide the capital, technical and educational expertise and equipment to create a viable Palestinian state.
He was speaking to some 2,000 delegates attending the three-day forum, organised by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad's Perdana Leadership Foundation.
Other speakers include prominent nuclear activist Helen Caldicott, former UN assistant secretary-generals Denis Halliday and Hans Von Sponeck and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
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