A Palestinian To Root For / Gary Rosenblatt in New York

The Palestinian Authority received $7.4 billion in pledges this week from 87 countries and international organizations meeting in Paris. Is that good news or bad news for Israel?

The Israeli government is pleased, and anyone hoping for an ultimate two-state solution with Israel existing next to a viable Palestinian state has to be rooting for the success of one Palestinian leader in particular, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

An economist with a Ph D. from the University of Texas who worked for eight years for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., Fayyad presented a recovery plan at the Paris meeting this week for a Palestinian state based on economic recovery and security reform.

Pro-Israel Mideast experts say they could not hope for a better Palestinian leader, one who cares more about building up a Palestinian state than destroying the Jewish one.

"He's been heroic," says David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who noted that Fayyad's anti-corruption efforts include closing more than 100 Hamas charities and dissolving groups that gave money to the families of suicide bombers.

Indeed, some Israeli officials worry that Fayyad could be eliminated by Palestinian militants angered over his actions.

Where does Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fit into this equation? Experts say he may have positive intentions but he has not shown a hands-on willingness to confront Fatah factions opposed to reform the way that Fayyad has.

Makovsky notes that "the countries that could contribute the most" to the Palestinians - the Gulf States - "have done the least." That includes Saudi Arabia, which has not fulfilled major pledges in recent years. It promised this week to give $500 million to the Palestinians over the next three years. We shall see.

Makovsky thinks the Bush administration's goal of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the end of 2008 is unrealistic, and he believes the focus should be on the details - easing roadblocks, allowing more trade between the Palestinian territory and Israel, etc. - rather than grand peace agreements.

Skeptics on both sides need to see "positive changes on the ground," he says. That means more security for Israel and more freedom of movement among the Palestinians.