[New Republic] Marty Peretz - The London Financial Times' first recommendation to Obama was not about the international economic calamity or domestic issues, or about Russia and NATO or the Korean bomb or Iran's much more ambitious nuclear designs. It was about the long and tortuous dispute between Israel and the political sects and clannish tribes which aspire to (isn't it really all of?) Palestine. They advised appointing Bill Clinton as "special envoy for the Middle East." By my count, there have been perhaps a dozen special envoys to the region in the last dozen years. Much blood has been shed since the fall of 2000 and Gaza was given over five years later. The Israelis cannot be expected to start a negotiation with its old concessions carved in stone. Which is what the Palestinians expect for starters, and only for starters. The first prerequisite for any solution to this conflict and for the acceptance of a real Palestinian entity is that the Palestinians demonstrate concretely that they do not still yearn to vitiate a Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.
2008-11-12 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive