Bulldozing Hope in the Mideast

One tragic consequence of this month's Israeli military offensive across the West Bank has been the heavy blow it inflicted on a Palestinian economy and civil society that had begun to show signs of life. If these two proud and talented peoples are ever to live side by side in peace and cooperation, one obvious prerequisite will be a Palestinian economy that generates jobs and prosperity for its people and civil institutions that can broaden debate and begin to supplant the paramilitary secular and Islamist groups that now monopolize Palestinian political activity.

Israel's long-term interest lies in nurturing Palestinian development, not demolishing it. While Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's determination to strike back at terrorists is understandable, Israel's destruction of Palestinian homes, businesses and public utilities is not. Knocking down houses, destroying electricity pylons and interfering with health care, as Israeli forces have done across the West Bank, cannot be justified by any compelling military need.