The World Ahead | Middle East in 2024
Don’t give up on peace in the Middle East
But the process of getting there will be alarmingly fragile
![A flying dove carrying a pen in its beak.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20231118_TWLDD003_FH.jpg)
By Edward Carr
IF 2023 was the year when the Palestinian conflict shook the Middle East, 2024 will be the year when it starts to become clear whether the Middle East can shake the Palestinian conflict. Terrible as it is to write after so much death, the region has not had a better chance of peace in two decades. Unfortunately, neither has the Palestinian conflict had a greater chance of spiralling out of control. Which will it be?
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “Don’t give up on peace in the Middle East”