The real obstacles to peace

The following is an exerpt from an article entitled "The real obstacles to peace" by Moshe Elad. To read full article, click here.
"The West frequently mentions its endorsement of a Palestinian state. A state? Who exactly will be leading it? The politically impotent Mahmoud Abbas who is an exile in his own country, or Islamic fundamentalist Khaled Mashaal? After all, it’s clear that the real obstacle to peace is the absence of a serious Palestinian leadership and an authorized partner whose word will be kept and whose signature on agreements will be fully honored.
Bottomless barrel of aid funds
History is not kind to the Palestinians on this front: Ever since 1948, the only leader who managed to win the majority’s support in the “territories,” Yasser Arafat, reverted to terrorism and the armed struggle at the moment of truth. Since his departure, the Palestinians are indeed wearing nice suits, but they are again a herd of terror groups without a responsible shepherd to lead them.
Therefore, the real obstacle to peace moves along the axis of the conception that “we talk with whoever is available,” as Tzipi Livni believes, and “let’s wait for the next leader,” in line with Minister Bogi Yaalon’s views.
Another obstacle is the bottomless barrel of aid funds to the Palestinians, who since the 1990s wasted billions of dollars and Euros contributed by “donor states.” The leaders of Japan, Germany, Britain, Scandinavian states, and the United States should be kind enough to look into the eyes of taxpayers in their countries and admit that their contributions only amounted to boosting terror groups in our region. Moreover, they turned the “territories” from an entity with a hard-working, productive population into a begging authority that has become addicted to donations without possibility of rehabilitation.
In any other place in the world, the funds donated to the Palestinian Authority would have been sufficient to establish industrial infrastructure, provide employment, housing, and a car to each worker. However, in the “territories” these funds have been swallowed up by terror arms, private pockets, and failed plants. Yet the only thing that matters is that the West washes its hands of the problem and believes that it promotes peace in our region.
The obstacle to peace also has to do with the West’s approach to our conflict: It’s double-standards; the calm with which it accepts Gilad Shamit's abduction; the exaggerated pampering of the corrupt Fatah; the understanding shown to the demands made by Hamas terrorists, while only being strict and unbiased when facing our besieged democracy.
The obstacle also has to do with the failed comprehension of Mideast experts; for example, the excitement with the reports by American General Dayton, who boasts of the Fatah forces trained to fight terrorism in the West Bank. Let them not face a test there vis-à-vis Hamas; let us not withdraw IDF troops from the area. The US should go ahead and make these kinds of experiments in North Korea, not here."