Bush to Stay on Sidelines of Mideast Talks -Paul RichterBush's positions suggest there may be a gap between his views and those of Rice...
(Los Angeles Times)
A Diplomatic Show of Force -Ron Ben-Yishai
The major objective of the U.S. is to produce a diplomatic show of force in Annapolis that would make it clear how robust Washington's status is in the Mideast region and in global politics.
America currently needs a show of force that will reunite the pro-Western camp around it and encourage its allies to continue the struggle against radical Islam's belligerent intention to take over the region.
(Ynet News)
Is the Conflict about the Size of Israel, or About Its Existence?
-Bernard Lewis
Paradoxically, if a Palestinian fled to Britain or America, he was eligible for naturalization after five years, and his locally-born children were citizens by birth. If he went to Syria, Lebanon or Iraq, he and his descendants remained stateless, now entering the fourth or fifth generation.
The reason for this has been stated by various Arab spokesmen. It is the need to preserve the Palestinians as a separate entity until the time when they will return and reclaim the whole of Palestine; that is to say, all of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel. The demand for the "return" of the refugees, in other words, means the destruction of Israel. This is highly unlikely to be approved by any Israeli government.
Which brings us back to the Annapolis summit. If the issue is not the size of Israel, but its existence, negotiations are foredoomed. And in light of the past record, it is clear that is and will remain the issue, until the Arab leadership either achieves or renounces its purpose - to destroy Israel. Both seem equally unlikely for the time being.
(Wall Street Journal, 26Nov07)
1 comment:
All I have been hearing by pundits and "ex[erts" on the radio news is how "Israel must give this, Israel must concede that". It does not bode well for Israel with these expectations. Nevertheless, these talks are a pointless stab at relevancy by an American regime that has fallen into irrelevancy. As long as the Palestinians voted in Hamas, the government has split and Hamas, the terrorists, are in command of their occupied territory, the Palestinian Authority can deliver nothing, thus what can Israel accomplish. If they avoided the talks they would be branded as uncooperative. By attending and dealing with this unworkable situation, they cannot agree to anything, and thus may be branded as the root cause of the troubles. Bush, in trying to save a little legacy for himself, has doomed the Israelis to yet more difficulties.
Post a Comment