RAMALLAH Feb 24 (JMCC) - In this opinion piece in the New York Times, professor and author Jerome M. Segal makes a point-by-point argument for recognizing the State of Palestine prior to negotiations.  While Israel has voiced concerns that such a move by the international community would be detrimental to negotiations, Segal argues just the opposite. From borders, to refugees, to Jerusalem and Hamas, Segal points out the benefits of this novel strategy.

...while international recognition of Palestinian statehood prior to an agreement with Israel is not a magic solution, it is a highly constructive idea that may make successful negotiations a genuine possibility....

...With respect to borders and security issues, the Israelis have often been tone-deaf in previous negotiations, failing to realize how demeaning to Palestinian dignity were their demands to control Palestinian airspace, or to have land swaps on an unequal basis.

In the context of state-to-state negotiations, there will be some natural evolution toward the symmetries that typified Israel’s negotiations with Jordan and Egypt. Similarly with Jerusalem, the state-to-state context will also be supportive of the need to find a way to share control of the holy sites and to make Jerusalem the capital of both states...

Read the full piece at the New York Times