Here they go again, the Israelis and Palestinians in yet another round of peace negotiations.
And the lack of seriousness on both sides remains.
The Israelis simply will not tear down the illegal settlements they’ve been building for 30 years. There is also no evidence whatever that the current Israeli prime minister and his extremist coalition have any tangible commitment to negotiations, much less to an agreement.
The Palestinians remain completely divided, as this week’s Hamas attack on Israeli settlers demonstrates. What’s needed is a referendum to decide once and for all whether there is substantial popular support for the two-state solution. What’s feared is that the Palestinians may vote no.
President Obama’s hands are tied. There’s no support in the US for bringing the Israelis into line, and no belief in the Middle East that the US is an honest broker.
Gorilla says: “Extend and pretend is all that’s on offer these days!”
Tags: Israel, Middle East, Palestinians