Mark Heller in the New York Times says now’s the time for the Europeans to step up and really help the Palestinians – to buy the Gaza settlements, before Israel destroys them on the way out:
Many other questions remain as well, particularly concerning what will be done with the settlements once Israel evacuates them.
That uncertainty, though, may provide an opportunity for united Europe, at last, to do something truly constructive on the Israeli-Palestinian issue: buy the settlements and operate them in the service of Palestinians. If there is one eternal question in Europe’s search for a common foreign policy, it is surely, “What should be Europe’s role in the Arab-Israeli peace process?” For years, the response has been twofold: to underwrite the budget of the Palestinian Authority and to posture.
An interesting proposal indeed.
