Short of a referendum and/or elections to decide once and for all what the Palestinians want, it’s difficult to see any prospects for peace. The current Israeli government is also not serious about negotiations, and we have not brought ourselves to dealing with Hamas.
Gorilla thinks: “It’s another big dive to nowhere off the Aswan Dam!”
Another Middle Eastern summit goes nowhere.
President Obama is trying his best, but the fact remains that the Israeli government is led by a Prime Minister and a Foreign Minister who have never supported the peace process.
Equally, it’s difficult to see how a unified Palestinian position can be achieved without talking to Hamas.
The big issues remain largely unresolved, whether of settlements, right to return, or Jerusalem. There’s little reason to expect any progress in the coming year.
Gorilla says: “It takes three to trio, and so far we’re going solo!”
When it comes to Israel and the Palestinians, that’s been about it for 60 plus years in Goingbackwardville.
We now have to deal with an Israeli leader who has never supported the peace process or the two state solution.
We also have to deal with a divided Palestinian polity, and we will not (yet) negotiate with Hamas.
So, Movingforwardville will host another round of talking about talking, accompanied by phony gestures like temporary settlement halts and independence declarations.
Victory won’t be declared, thumbscrews will not be tightened, and we’ll wait around for yet another pivotal/inconclusive/provocative/defensive bit of unilateralism.
Gorilla is relatively optimistic: “Oh well, it’s not like Afghanistan, we’ve still got another 90 years or so to achieve a truly bleak level of quagmire!”
Gorilla’s Blog