Your leaders may be sitting at the negotiating table, but you [the people of the Middle East] are ultimately the ones who will ultimately decide the future. [sic]
She's right. With regard to the Palestinians, it's not Abbas's signature on some piece of paper that's going to bring peace, but whether or not the Palestinian people are ready to put the conflict behind them. Their leadership, however, has a responsibility to prepare them for conflict-ending concessions and coexistence with Israel. Clinton's message is a good first step, but the question is, Will it get through? We were reminded this week that at least some of the Arab press cannot be counted on to deliver it.
Egypt's state-run newspaper, al-Ahram, doctored a photo of President Obama and Middle East leaders at the White House recently to depict Egyptian President Mubarak leading the others down a hallway, rather than walking last which was the real situation.
It's just the latest illustration of how messages intended for Middle East audiences are shaped by autocratic leaders and their government-controlled media. And it reflects the challenges that may lie ahead in reaching out to the Palestinians to condition them for peace. Palestinian leaders -- and not U.S. leaders in Washington -- ultimately will have to do that themselves.
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