“World leaders need to understand the simple fact that creating a Palestinian state today would not end the violence. President Mubarak of Egypt admits this in private – as does King Abdullah of Jordan. From their perspective, however, the creation of a weak Palestinian state poses little short-term political threat to the strategic balance of the Arab world and satisfies the increasingly strong pro-Palestinian sentiment of their respective populations.

What they do not see is that a failed Palestinian state (for that is what it would eventually be) is as much a danger to their own positions as to Israel.

Prime Minister Sharon will no doubt have reminded President Bush of this point. At present, a two-state solution is no solution at all.”