Hopes For A Middle East Peace
Crossing one’s fingers with regard to the Middle East is a good thing to do, says former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy, who had a long foreign service career in the Middle East and continues to have a keen interest in peace there.
Murphy is hopeful positive comments about the incoming Obama administration’s prospects for positively influencing the peace process from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas will translate into true opportunity.
During an interview on News Talk Online on Paltalk, Murphy was critical of the past two administrations for doing little, until their twilight hours, to move along the peace process. He says the Bush administration was particularly unfocused because of distractions caused by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Asked about missed opportunities by the Palestinians, Murphy suggested that the situation is exceedingly complex. But he downplayed Palestinian rhetoric, including the Palestinian Authority’s charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel.
Those strong words, he believes, were meant to “rally support among Palestinians.”
“I didn’t find that desire among the Palestinians to wipe Israel out,” he said.
But when challenged about the realities of terrorist attacks during the Intifada, Murphy acknowledged that the words had the poisonous affect of creating suicide bombers.
Murphy says, however, that Hamas, negotiating through the Egyptians, has agreed to a cease fire that has held.
“I think,” he concludes, “there are grounds for optimism.”
Murphy, however, doesn’t believe the United States will go it alone in the search for peace in the Middle East, but will likely work with other nations which also hope for an end to the conflict.
