It is very likely that Palestine in 2013 will witness the absence of two major leaders that have shaped the Palestinian struggle for the past decades.

More than 60 years after its existence was envisaged by the UN partition plan, 40 years after its creation was implied in UN Security Council resolutions, and almost 20 years since the Oslo Accords, there is still no Palestinian state.

Conservative republicans may feel more sympathetic towards Netanyahu's leadership style, but it would be foolish to lose liberal Americans by playing up partisan differences by publicly undercutting Obama's call for direct negotiations with Abbas.

The marathon of speeches last week cleared the view as to what is needed for Palestinians to reach their coveted independent state. Clearing the view, however, doesn't necessarily mean that getting a state will be easy or attainable in the near future.

Everybody else in the media, in politics, in the blogosphere needs to stop acting as though something utterly new and drastic has been suggested. If we don't, we will lose focus on the more important issue of moving the peace process forward.

May 23, 2011 10:21:46 PM By Susan Cornwell and Jeffrey Heller WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresse...

The development by Palestinians of an integrated peaceful strategy for achieving independence is in the interests of all parties, including Israel and the US.