The key to Palestine-Israel peace
Frederic Bastiat, 19th century French economist, predicted, “If goods don’t cross borders, troops will.” That’s precisely the theme of a July 1 Weekly Standard article written by my Israeli colleague Daniel Doron, president of the Jerusalem-based Israel Center for Social and Economic Development, titled, “The Way Forward for the Palestinians: It’s Economic Development, Not Peace-processing.” Daniel Doron argues that during the quarter century from the Six Day War to the Oslo Accords, from 1967 to 1993, the political stalemate enabled a quiet peace.
Israel maintained a modicum of law and order in Palestinian areas, and the Palestinian economy flourished. The Palestinian GDP quadrupled, standards of living rose, infant mortality fell, and seven new colleges were established.
During this time of relative peace, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians worked in Israel. Though, Doron adds, going through security checkpoints was a hassle, once in Israel Palestinians had total freedom of movement.
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