One Perspective on a Week in the Middle East

Another visit to this most complicated of regions ends for me tonight with a flight back to the United States. This time, work with schools in Gaza and a quick visit to see friends in the West Bank occurred against the backdrop of events in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and elsewhere. Everyone, at every turn, wanted to talk about what this means for the region's future, and especially the Israeli-Palestinian stand-off.

From all appearances tonight, things are winding down in Cairo, but there remains a substantial possibility of more violence before the Mubarak regime leaves town. That said, to follow are some random observations from a week of talking with Palestinian private school leaders:

--All embrace the idea of regime change in Egypt, recognizing the corruption and repression of the Mubarak years; but

--Christians are fearful of what will come next, in particular, whether a post-Mubarak Egypt will look more like Iran than Turkey; and

--Muslims, admittedly from a more liberal sample, are fearful that democratic reforms will languish if a new strongman emerges (especially one with Western backing);

--Change in Egypt might pressure Fatah to behave better in the West Bank and maybe reach an accommodation with Hamas (there are already signs that this is happening); and

--The United States did too little too late, and then seemed to reverse course by first saying nothing, then saying Mubarak should leave now, and then saying that he should stay until elections.

There are certainly other viewpoints (Jewish Israelis for one), though I didn't gather these other than through Haaretz and al Jazeera. And events in Jordan, much closer to the West Bank and sharing a common Palestinian ethnicity, may eventually mean more here than what happens in Egypt.

So, a quick dinner in Jerusalem, one of my favorite cities, and then on to Tel Aviv and home. I am already looking forward to coming back here soon as possible.

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