As always, to see the link I am referencing, click on the title of this post and you will be redirected.
This is a case in point for my last post. Although it is possible (perhaps even probable) that the quotes found in this article were filtered by the author to convey her point, it still stands as an example of the fact that a large portion of the Palestinian population is focused on bread and butter (literally) economic issues. None of the individuals interviewed for this article went off on a cosmological diatribe about the Great Satan to the West (and Far West). They instead bemoan the realities of economic deprivation and its psychological and sociological impact. Although economic liberalization will not lead to an immediate popular repudiation of Islamic extremism*, it is clearly the right path to follow.
*I say this because, although the roots of the ideology may be in response to economic alienation, Islamist thought has become a cultural phenomenon and can therefore only be defeated by an equally potent cultural movement. That alternative movement can only take root, though, if there is ample evidence that there is legitimate opportunities for social mobility for Palestinians who embrace global integration.
