NEW YORK — As protests increase in several Mideast countries, it is becoming more obvious that a final agreement between Israelis and Palestinians is one of the most critical issues facing policymakers in the region. For the United States, which is steadily losing control of events, it is also the time to help Israel define its real strategic interests in the area.
If one lesson can be learned from the tumultuous events in Egypt, it is that people cannot be held submissive forever while their most basic rights are denied. Ignoring this lesson can bring harsh consequences, as former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak discovered.
The Mubarak regime had played a stabilizing role in the region and had been a key player in mediating negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). It is yet not clear what role Egypt will have now in this process, particularly after the September elections that the military junta has promised to hold.