By Yousef Munayyer
Why is the “peace process,” which so many American Presidents have invested time in, dead? Answers to this question could fill volumes of history books but a recent episode from this week serves as a perfectly illustrative microcosm of the larger problem.
The Associated Press reported Monday:
Under Israeli pressure, U.S. officials have quietly canceled a two-year-old scholarship program for students in the Gaza Strip, undercutting one of the few American outreach programs to people in the Hamas-ruled territory. The program now faces an uncertain future, just two years after being launched with great fanfare by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during a visit to the region.
So what is the reasoning behind this? Israel cites security reasons to ban students from traveling to the West Bank to get an education. The concern, according to the Israeli military spokesman quoted in the AP story, is that permitting students from Gaza to get an education in the West Bank would lead to the radicalization of the West Bank….
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This article originally appeared on Newsweek/The Daily Beast.
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