Wise Decision by Palestinians

There will be no unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood before Israel’s national elections on May 17, Palestinian leaders have apparently decided. And if they are wise neither will there be a declaration any time soon after that date.

This week’s decision by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the 124-member Palestine Central Council to defer any proclamation came at the strong urging of the United States, the European Union and Arab countries friendly to Palestinian aspirations. Timing was a major reason. To lay claim to statehood on the eve of the voting in Israel would have all but guaranteed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection and doomed the peace process.

Political realism also loomed large. Palestinians control only a fraction of the West Bank. Their only hope for sovereignty over more land is negotiations, whose fate lies with the Israeli electorate. “As long as I’m prime minister a Palestinian state will not be established,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.

Neither of Netanyahu’s two main opponents, the Labor Party’s Ehud Barak or the new Center Party’s Yitzhak Mordecai, has endorsed Palestinian statehood. But both are far more moderate and flexible--and certainly more supportive of the peace process--than Netanyahu. Successful negotiations, which must include security guarantees for Israel, would almost certainly see the emergence of a Palestinian state in Gaza and in parts of the West Bank.

May 4, the fifth anniversary of the Oslo accords, was the target originally set for resolving all the major issues between Israel and the Palestinians. Washington has now proposed giving the talks another year. If a new prime minister takes over in Israel at the head of a strong coalition whose survival does not depend on the support of extreme nationalist or religious elements, great progress could be made within a year.

The United States has now joined the European Union in accepting that a Palestinian state is virtually inevitable. That is not a view that can be imposed on Israel, but when its most essential friend sends such a signal, notice should be taken. Washington remains committed to brokering a durable settlement. It needs as a partner an Israeli government that is no less committed.