The United States and Palestine: Reagan's Legacy to Bush

Since the end of the 1967 Middle East war, two approaches have emerged for settling the Arab-Israeli conflict: a comprehensive settlement under international auspices and a "peace process" conducted under United States supervision.

The first approach envisions an international framework with authority to shape a settlement in accordance with recognized legal principles and accepted practices. The international consensus associated with this approach embodies an historic compromise, based on the exchange of territory for peace: the Arab states and the Palestinians would recognize the permanence of Israel within its 1967 borders in return for the recognition of the right of the Palestinians to self-determination.

Naseer Aruri is professor of political science at Southeastern Massachusetts University.