What State Palestine?

For many, the century-old conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis seemed finally to have come to an end when in September the two sides signed at the White House lawn the Declaration of Principles (DOP) regarding the establishment of a “Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority” in the Occupied Territories. Overnight, the status of the Palestinians, in the media at least, appeared to have undergone a total transformation, from that of the perennial terrorist and spoiler to one who is entitled to a place under the sun. However, it is not clear what sort of place this is whose contours were secretly crafted behind the scenes in Oslo, Norway, and away from the glare and publicity of Washington.

It is possible t...