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Israel's pullout gives Palestine chance to become nation state--expert

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MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank has provided the Palestinian Authority with an opportunity to rebuild itself as a nation state, a leading Russian analyst said Monday.

Alexander Konovalov, president of the Institute of Strategic Analysis, said the pullout would usher in a new stage in the Middle East peace process.

"All necessary conditions have been created for a lasting peace in the Middle East, but [they are] not sufficient. Without these initial, yet very important steps, however, there would have been nothing to talk about," Konovalov said.

The analyst said the main challenge facing the Palestinian leadership now was to restore law and order to Gaza. Whether the Palestinians will be able to keep the situation under control is a crucial factor in the future of the peace process, he said, adding that "if the Gaza Strip becomes a source of new terrorist attacks on Israeli soil, Israel will retaliate." He warned that if provoked, Israel could send troops back into the abandoned Gaza territories in a matter of hours.

Konovalov said the Arab-Israeli peace process would be seriously undermined if "Palestinian forces advocating the continuation of an armed struggle against Israel stepped up their activities."

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