The Palestinian Intifada has damaged prospects for peace here both directly and indirectly. In 2000, Palestinian attacks severely undermined Israeli support for a peace agreement just when its government needed public support for the painful concessions it was making at Camp David. Israelis naturally wondered if the establishment of a Palestinian state would really end the violence. The Intifada incredibly made possible the previously inconceivable election of right-wing hawk Ariel Sharon to the office of prime minister.

However, the Intifada continues to eat away at faint prospects for peace in indirect ways as well. The Intifada and the security measures needed to combat it have completely destroyed the Palestinian economy. Palestinians with skills, especially Christians, who are more likely to support a negotiated settlement are unsurprisingly seeking their fortunes in other parts of the world.

Over dinner tonight, a group of Israeli political scientists explained to me that a dovish brain drain is occuring among Jews as well. While the Intifada has not destroyed the Israeli economy, it has definitely injured it. Outside of the fast growing security sector, it is extremely difficult to find a job. Talented Israelis who are more likely to support the inevitable concessions that will have to be made by Israel as part of any negotiated peace are leaving.

Supporters of the Intifada or the destruction of Israel make take pleasure in the departure of some Jewish Israelis. However, if the Intifada's goal was to bring Israel to its knees, it has utterly failed. The vast majority of Jewish Israelis have no more intention of leaving here than most Danes have of leaving Denmark. In any case, this is their home and they have no place to go.

The security situation is also rapidly improving. The Israeli Army operation in Jenin was much pilloried by European Union for human rights violations. However, terror declined markedly in the wake of it and an international investigation by the UN, hardly a great ally of Israel, discovered that claims of abuses were greatly exaggerated. The security barrier has also made it much harder for Palestinian terrorists to infiltrate Israel.

Terrorists incidents, like last week's suicide bomber attack on two Israeli buses in Beersheba, still occur. However, their frequency is declining. Israelis no longer stay away from public places. People are returning to the streets, cafes, and restaurants. Even tourism is starting to pick up a little. People seem to worry more about terror attacks in the U.S. than in Israel even though terrorism has been much more of a daily problem here than in the United States. Israelis take precautions against terror but they keep living their lives. The Intifada is simply not going to bring Israel to its knees.

The Palestinians are now clearly bearing the brunt of the burden of the Intifada. It is hard not to feel sorry for innocent Palestinians who suffer. Life in the West Bank and Gaza is undoubtedly very harsh. At the same time, Israel could hardly have acted otherwise. No nation would tolerate constant terrorist attacks.

Negotiating peace is going to be even harder in the future than in the past. Even if support for negotiations somehow renews itself among the Palestinians, they will likely find that the Intifada has left them with fewer people with whom to negotiate. By reducing support for a negotiated settlement on both sides, the Intifada has made the path to Palestinian statehood much steeper.