Is a Palestinian state a fantasy?

IN THE diplomacyUNPAUN around the forever war between Israel and the Palestinians, it is customary to describe a Palestinian state as a necessity. Consider the latest Gaza , backed by America, and supported on June 10th by a resolution from 14 of the 15 countries on the security council (Russia abstained). It outlines the global community’s “unwavering” commitment to a two-state solution “where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace”. It also insists that Gaza must be unified with the West Bank under the authority of the Palestinian Authority (). Most countries believe that Palestine should be now, before any two-state peace deal. On May 10th, 143 countries at the supported this idea, and on May 28th they were joined by Ireland, Norway and Spain.Some visions for this new state are inspiring. Palestine Emerging, a study by 100 experts that was released in April, envisions Gaza and the West Bank by 2050 as a single entity of 13m people, up from around 5m today, connected by a railway, and with nature reserves and an airport. The devastation in Gaza creates a tabula rasa on which a new city will be built, with a seaport on an island with a causeway to the mainland. Palestine would prosper as a trading entrepot with its currency pegged to the dollar, underwritten by the Gulf states. Yet when you look away from the lofty blueprints, the gap between the dream and reality is crushingly large.