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Source: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_spine/archive/2009/01/21/advice-for-george-mitchell.aspx
Advice for the New Middle East Envoy
[New Republic] Marty Peretz - George Mitchell is the U.S. special envoy to Israel for peace talks. Mitchell has been very clear that there is no purpose in negotiations with parties which don't want peace. The delirium of Palestinian politics is a stark fact. Many Palestinians and most in the Palestinian leadership believe they can whittle Israel down to size without they themselves having to whittle down their ambitions. This delirium also translates into the assumption that losing a military confrontation or, in fact, a war has no consequences. One of the questions that Mitchell must address first is whether Hamas is really fooling when it says it seeks the elimination of the Jewish state and, secondly, whether Fatah is really willing to live with a Jewish state. I'm afraid that a truthful evaluation is likely to disappoint him.