Text size  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be praised
for saying, albeit unenthusiastically, that Israel would agree
to the establishment of a "demilitarized" Palestinian state. His
statements seem reasonable until one looks at the details: a
demilitarized state with no army, no right to sign accords with
other countries and no control over border crossings and
airspace. As Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country
is currently chairing the European Union, rightly asked, with
all these limitations, what's left of Palestinian sovereignty?
Indeed, it's too similar to Bantustan.  It should come as no
surprise that the Palestinians rejected Netanyahu's position
outright. Their positions were and remain intractable: a
redivision of Jerusalem, the removal of all settlements, a
return to the June 4, 1967 borders and Israel's recognition of
the Palestinian right of return. No Israeli government will
agree to these demands. But the question is not only what the
Palestinians will accept, but to what ex