The New York Post interviewed thirteen Middle East experts and current and former policy practitioners about the Gaza conflict. The following is a contribution by Michael Singh, a Boston-based associate fellow of The Washington Institute and former National Security Council senior director for Middle East Affairs. Read the complete article on the Post's website.
The Gaza conflict underscores that while Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are vital to securing a peace agreement, the peace process consists of far more than just these negotiations. Further investments must be made in helping the Palestinian Authority to build effective political and security institutions. Also, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other states in the region will need to reach cooperative arrangements to prevent groups like Hamas from acquiring and firing rockets and other weapons and thereby dragging the Middle East into conflict.
Gaza should give new impetus to international efforts to isolate Iran and Syria. Iran provides arms and funding to both Hezbollah and Hamas, which in pursuing their own agendas also satisfy Tehran's to the detriment of both Israel and its Arab neighbors. The international community must hold the Iranian regime accountable for its efforts to destabilize the region by more vigorously participating in US-led sanctions efforts.
Michael Singh is an associate fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council.
