Tuesday, November 27, 2007
the best promise of Annapolis is that it could see the formalizing of the estrangement of Hamas, initiated by the summer’s revolting Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence, and the formal recognition by more Arab states that Palestinian moderates and Israel are the only legitimate players. The prospects of the return of the Golan could drive a significant wedge between terrorism-supporting Syria and Iran, whose isolation is intensified. The most intransigent parties to this conflict and their people will be provided with an opportunity to recognize their self-interest, if only incrementally.
Annapolis will not mean peace in our time. But it could be a meaningful step toward peace in someone else’s time.
...The so-called Palestinian side brings nothing to the table. It has yet to fulfill a major pledge made at previous summit meetings. If the Palestinian side were applying for a bank loan, they would be turned down for defaulting on prior loans. Only in the twisted logic of Middle East "diplomacy" is their credit undamaged...
...Despite thousands of claims by lots of famous people, national leaders, and respected journals, solving the Arab-Israeli conflict will not make radical Islamism or terrorism go away. Would you like to know why? Because even if this issue could be solved—which isn’t about to happen for reasons requiring a different article—to do so would necessitate a compromise including an end to the conflict, acceptance of Israel, and compromises by the Arab side. These steps would inflame the extremists and make any Arab rulers who accepted it vulnerable to being called traitors. It would increase instability in the Arab world, also by removing the conflict as splendid excuse and basis for mobilizing support for the current rulers. Arab politicians understand this reality; most people in the West don’t...
Michelle Malkin has links.
Update: Jules Crittenden has posted a Stratfor analysis in full.
Yesterday, reading the reactions to the creation of embryonic stem cell-like cells from adult tissue, I was thinking how disappointed a lot of people seemed, like they prefer conflict to a solution. A few of your links, especially Michelle Malkin's, give the same impression.
I'm not holding my breath for either the stem cells or Annapolis to work out, but still...
Anyway, there's plenty of available commentary in English, for and against, from people who actually know something about Israel. Who cares what Jules Crittenden or Frank Gaffney thinks?
The Stratfor analysis, on the other hand, is quite solid.
From Abbas' address:
"Each one of you has his own her own personal pain, personal tragedy as a result of this conflict and as a result of the years of tragedy and occupation," said President Abbas. "These are very bitter years. Don't be depressed, don't lose confidence and hope, for the whole world today now is stretching its hand towards us in order to help us put and end to our tragedy, to our holocaust that has been running for too long."
http://voanews.com/english/2007-11-27-voa59.cfm
I keep having visions of Munich and "Peace in our time" running through my head........
BHG