been cynically exploited by virtually ever arab government. but that doesn t mean that it isn t the issue that arabs across the board. across generations, across jenders, religions, across geographic space, across class lines care about the most it s the prism of pain through which they view international relations, it is true that the arab spring has focused attention on egypt and libya and on syria and the palestinian issue hasn t been sort of dominatele the front pages of the arab newspapers the way that it has. but that doesn t mean that it isn t the great back story. that it isn t the fundamental prism that arabs view their relationship with the rest of the world with the west, the united states with the global order. it s still is. so while it recedes sometimes as the most urgent issue, it never goes away as the most important one. in the arab mentality. heather, if you could wave a