Re: The Middle East, What If . . .?

What if, way back in 1948, the Arabs (the name Palestinian did exist yet) had decided to make the best of the partition.

What if they had declared a Palestinian State with all the rights and privileges of statehood and opened diplomatic relations with all nations including Israel?

What if, furthermore, they had organized a democratic government, just as India did after the British left?

What if they had told their Arab "friends" not start any wars against Israel? Furthermore, what if they had asked the United States, the USSR and European nations to bring pressure to bear on Syria, Egypt and Jordan to stay out of Palestine and Israel?

What if the new Palestinian government had asked the United States to help with money and advice on the setting up of a modern nation with proper schools, health care, higher education, government departments, industry, retailing, finance, etc.?

How different the Middle East would be now.