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After the Cease-Fire

What do next about Israel and Palestine.

When Israel and Hamas reach an inevitable cease-fire, what will happen next? That’s the question taken up by Richard Haass in Newsweek. Without the intervention of diplomats and the prioritization of negotiating over fighting, Haass argues, not a lot. President Obama needs to quickly and publically set forth what the US would see as a just settlement (establishment of a Palestinian state, financial compensation for refugees, some foothold in Jerusalem). Then the US should increase aid and investment in Palestine while teaming with Turkey to unite Syria and Israel, thus driving a wedge between Syria and Hamas. Building up the Palestinian police and military is the only way to ensure security. In the end, Haass writes, "Israel needs a successful Palestinian state almost as much as the Palestinians do if it is to remain democratic, Jewish, prosperous, and secure."