Akiva Eldar / So what if Obama wants to move peace process forward?

Obama is realizing that the real superpower (military & economic) in the ME is Israel and that the US and everybody else is impotent if the Israeli public supports its elected leader's position. 17 years later the US is an economic basket case and Israel is an economic superstar. The next step is for the Israeli PM to tell everyone that the peace process junket is over and to stop interfering in Israel's internal affairs. Once the Palestinians realize that the international community can't help them they might give up their fantasy of destroying Israel and accept whatever Israel is prepared to offer.

In the 12 yrs I lived in Israel, it was weak then. It is even weaker now. It has never, in the history of the country, had any influence whatsoever and it is more reviled today.As more Jews in the diaspora become increasingly disenchanted and alienated from Israel, Israel has consistently turned to the right. The only moment in the country's history, where there was an outcry against the actions and brutality of the military was in the mass demonstration in Tel Aviv protesting Israel's role in the Sabra/Chatilla massacre during the Lebanon War. Now such people are considered fifth columnists and they would be silenced, if they were there to protest at all today.

It's official:The USA is bending in submission to terror. Who would have thought?

Alone??

The interest in the palestinians question is gone. The world is tired to talk or hear about it any more. The Palestinians made it so. Now is the time to tell the Palestinians to go alone fighting for their tired cause. Cause ?! What cause ? And which one ?! The fighting among themselves or the ideologic and Islamic differences ?! Palestine is just a name. A name for something that never was and will never be. An old story that kept repeating itself and left nothing that one can talk about. Time each on his own !

Obama can want the stars and the moon, doesn't mean he's going to get them. Obama will come out of this fray bruised, battered, and more frustrated. What's that old saying "Fools rush in"? I'm afraid his arrogance and ego will destroy him. His ambition is neither the Israeli's or Pals responsibility. By the time he knows what hit him, he'll be throug h as a one term President. Very foolish move, more than foolish. Israel and the Pals have years of practice and still nothing changes but, Israel's advancement. Thank G-d.

1.Good morning university students and institutions. 2.Only the miracle of Five Loaves and Two Fish can fix the Middle East Crisis. 3.The Perfect Formula of the small but well-trained shepherd boy mahdi will resolve the ME Conflict justly, permanently, comprehensively, speedily, in our days and without preconditions. 4.As a true son of Abraham, the poor living legend boy will have a monument built to the left of Abraham Lincoln. Talents of this man of peace will be a combination of Noah, Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, David, Solomon, Samson and Jesus Christ. 5.In the eleventh hour, his Moshaichs Meal of Five Loaves will shake the earth beyond the Richter Scale so that man can safely pass over every present crisis. 6.Neither Israel nor Palestine is the main obstacle to Middle East Peace. It is the devil. To obliterate it requires no less than a living saint like Lech Walesa of Poland.

The left is absent because Bibi has in fact adopted the principle of a Palestinian state, and the seeds of return of most settlements are also present in his willingness to a freeze. The left never had to win elections or form a coalition or grandstand in the UN for photo ops. It had to articulate and explain it's position which is nothing less than the salvation and survival of Israel, and they have succeeded in getting that done, as it will be Bibi, Mr. Right, who will agrree to the formation of a Palestinian state, and cede territory stolen, back. The waffling, ego centric, double talking, ex furniture salesman will enter history as Jewish hero for all time because he reversed his reactionary postions and became a Smoloni. Bibi, Bibi, Smolanini.

Absenteeism by Hamas is what made these talks with Obama a waste of time and money. Till Galid is safe and sound at home with his family the Palestinians are two groups and therefore no partner for peace with Israel.

Getting the tripartite together was an acheivement. Not forcing prior conditions was progress. Them agreeing to restart the negotiations was good. Politics is like a dance, with steps foward and back. The important thing is that folks are dancing again. In the end, there will be a settlement because without it there will be no secure Israel or no Fulfilled Palestiniant State and ongoing conflict and catastrophe. Yes, Mr. Eldar and everyone: criticize and fault find and make suggestions, and give solid input and express ideals, but in the end reality will prevail, and for the sake of us all let us hope it is a peace acheived thru negotiation. Blessed are the peace makers and the nudniks that keep prodding. Bibi will be the one to recognize the Palestinian state, and Hamas will be the entity that acknolwedges Israel reversing extreme Islamic denial. men.

No one is in a position to compel the coalition of laand thieves and fanatics that runs Israel to save the country as a modern democratic majority-Jewish state. This means backing into the One State Solution-- only will that state be apartheid South Africa or a non-Jewish binational state? Bibi is fathering one of those two. Which?

Who would have thought?

dear Akiva, you write: So what if Obama says the time has come to move the peace process forward? as you rightly point out, there is very little hope that the two sides will find internal motivation and legitimation to make peace. it seems clear that, in order to bring about peace, the US must then apply external pressure, so the question is what kind of pressure it will choose to apply. my feeling is that the US, after acknowledging that its invitation to solve the issue via negotiation has failed, rather than withdrawing financial support to Israel will instead proceed to recognize a state of Palestine based on the '67 borders, and will give it financial and political support. one precedent is the accession of Cyprus to the EU, despite the fact that the border issues were not solved in time by the parts.

Perhaps the Peace camp knows only too well that the balance in Israel has shifted beyond repair. May as well keep the head in the sand as the country drifts maniacally into the hands of the extremists ( on all sides). There is only so much one can do to prevent Israel from shooting itself in the foot. Cassandra was not wrong. Nor is the peace camp, but the forces of zealotry are about to repeat history.