The Palestinian people need decent governance first, as a prerequisite for statehood. Too much emphasis has been placed on brokering negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians — negotiations that bring up the same issues again and again. It is not in the interest of the United States, at a time when it is being threatened by Islamist terrorists, to assist the creation of another state that will support terrorism. Palestinian statehood will have to be earned through sustained good governance, a clear commitment to fighting terrorism, and a willingness to live in peace with Israel.

This is an eminently reasonable critique of Clinton-Bush diplomacy, and I suspect that the principles contained therein will make for good political strategy as well. Events in the Middle East during the election year are almost certain to vindicate Giuliani; it's hard to imagine Bush having any more success in jump-starting a Palestinian state in his final year in office than did Clinton in the last year of his administration. And the failure of the latest push might already be taking shape.

Amidst rumors of secret Fatah-Hamas talks, yesterday Mahmoud Abbas rather surprisingly called for a "return to national unity," and PA security forces released nine members of Hamas being held in Bethlehem. Any rapprochement with Hamas will be a deal-killer for Israel and America, although if Abbas is as unpredictable and incompetent in negotiating with Hamas as he has been with the U.S. and Israel, perhaps we needn't worry.