JS> No doubt you have already seen the photos that were
 JS> released regarding Friday's meeting between Israeli Prime
 JS> Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack
 JS> Obama.

 Nope.

 JS> Between Netanyahu's cold, angry stare, and Obama's
 JS> tense, reciprocal glare, I don't know which was worse.
 JS> Considering the obvious animosity which exists between the
 JS> two leaders, not to mention their diametrically opposed
 JS> viewpoints regarding how to move forward in the so-called
 JS> Middle East peace process, I honestly don't know how they
 JS> even managed to remain in the same room with each other,

 Netanyahu desperately needs US support. Obama controls that
 support, no matter how much BN doesn't like that fact.

 JS> much less sit down to a meal together, and hold two hours
 JS> plus of discussions. The atmosphere must have been
 JS> absolutely electric. I would imagine that most of that
 JS> expensive food was left uneaten. Who could possibly
 JS> peacefully eat under such conditions, while your worst
 JS> critic is sitting across the table from you? Then again,

 Well, Obama could if he wanted to, since he holds all the power,
 no matter how Netanyahu poses. OTOH, it could be he really is
 serious about peace, so that might trouble him.

 ...

 JS> Since President Obama gave his much-anticipated speech last
 JS> Thursday, criticism has indeed been strong. Powerful
 JS> Republican politicians, as well as many other American
 JS> pro-Israel supporters, have been quick to pounce on
 JS> President Obama, due to his firm stance regarding what he
 JS> believes must be done in order to achieve peace in the
 JS> Middle East.

 It also happens to be the position that has been known as the
 necessary route to peace in the Middle East for a very long
 time, including by a great many Israelies.

 **************************************************************************
 *In 2008, Then-Israeli Prime Minister Edud Olmert Stated That
 Israelis Must "Return To The Core Of The Territory That Is The
 State of Israel Prior To 1967."* On the anniversary of the death
 of Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by an Orthodox Jew
 opposing the Oslo Accords, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
 Olmert stated: "We must give up Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem
 and return to the core of the territory that is the State of
 Israel prior to 1967, with minor corrections dictated by the
 reality created since then." From /Haaretz/:
 **************************************************************************

 Also George W. Bush:


 **************************************************************************

 * From Bush's statement during a May 26, 2005, press conference
 with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas:

    Any final status agreement must be reached between the two parties,
    and changes to the 1949 Armistice Lines must be mutually agreed to.
    A viable two-state solution must ensure contiguity on the West Bank,
    and a state of scattered territories will not work. There must also
    be meaningful linkages between the West Bank and Gaza. This is the
    position of the United States today; it will be the position of the
    United States at the time of final status negotiations.

 **************************************************************************

 JS> The position he has adopted is obviously not
 JS> popular with these people, and never has been, but what
 JS> other fair, equitable solutions are there? Continued
 JS> occupation is not an option. Neither is a Palestinian State
 JS> that is so divided in a physical and geographical sense
 JS> that it isn't really even a state, and thus cannot function
 JS> properly.

 Which, very likely, is Netanyahu's real goal.

 JS> Many people no doubt realize that returning to some
 JS> semblance of the pre-1967 borders may be the only solution
 JS> to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is a very
 JS> bitter pill to swallow for Jews and pro-Israel supporters
 JS> alike. That is why no one is currently offering to lead the
 JS> way, other than Obama himself, and his supporters within
 JS> his administration. Obviously, that does not include Dennis
 JS> B. Ross, who is Israel's favorite American son and loyal
 JS> mouthpiece.

 IOW, Obama is showing moral courage beyond what anyone expected.

 As he did in the killing of OBL.

 JS> While the liberal, pro-Jewish press has been quick to heap

 As opposed to the conservative pro-Jewish press? The
 conservative talking heads and print media have been far more
 savage than any liberal press or media.

 JS> scathing criticism upon Obama, Israeli Prime Minister
 JS> Benjamin Netanyahu has not received equal treatment. So I
 JS> must ask, why not? It should be clear to everyone by now
 JS> that Netanyahu has driven the last nail into the coffin of
 JS> the Middle East peace process. He drew a very firm line in
 JS> the sand when he declared the following points:

 JS> 1. he will never accept pre-1967 borders.

 JS> 2. he will never recognize the Palestinian right of return.

 JS> 3. he will never deal with the Palestinian government as
 JS> long as Hamas is a part of it.

 JS> Based on those remarks, going forward, it is an illusion
 JS> and a deception to even refer to it as the Middle East
 JS> peace process. Don't kid yourself. There is no peace
 JS> process. It is dead in the water, and has been for some
 JS> time now.

 Maybe. With Obama behind it, he can drive it no matter what
 Netanyahu wants.

 JS> The Palestinians obviously realize this, which is
 JS> why they now intend to approach the United Nations General
 JS> Assembly in September. The Israeli leadership habitually
 JS> says that they have no peace partner. It seems to me that
 JS> based on Netanyahu's remarks, the Palestinians have the
 JS> right to say the very same thing. As long as both sides are
 JS> so adamant in their positions, any form of further
 JS> discussion is absolutely futile at this point. It would
 JS> just be more years of fruitless, empty talks which contain
 JS> no real substance, and which would lead to nothing concrete.

 Hmmm... you seem to be making sense. Frightening.

 JS> So what comes next?

 JS> If it weren't for the one remaining hope -- perhaps a false
 JS> hope -- that the Palestinians have in the United Nations
 JS> General Assembly, I wouldn't hesitate to say that the
 JS> potential exists for a sudden, steep climb in the level of
 JS> violence against Israel.

 Nope. For one reason. The Palestinians have never been a
 significant force for violence against Israel, and no other
 Middle Easter country is going to take up their cause with
 violence.

 And yes, the Palestinians have never been a significant force
 for violence against Israel. All those rockets getting fired,
 yet the almost never hit anyone. Whereas, when any real exchange
 takes place, Israel kills Palestinians 100 to 1 over Palestinians
 killing Israelies. And the Palestinians kill Israelis soldiers
 10 to 1 over civilians, whereas Israelies kill Palestinian
 civilians 10 to 1 over Palestinian fighters.

 JS> In retrospect, intifada number one
 JS> and intifada number two might be insignificant compared to
 JS> what a third intifada might be like; because it would be
 JS> fueled by a total loss of hope on the part of the
 JS> Palestinians.

 That part does make sense.

 JS> If thousands of Palestinians were willing to mass on
 JS> Israel's borders a week ago -- even at the risk of facing
 JS> death -- imagine if many thousands more did the same thing,
 JS> or worse. If the Tunisians, the Egyptians, the Syrians, the
 JS> Yemenis and the Bahrainis have been willing to rise up
 JS> against oppression, why not the Palestinians? Who knows. If
 JS> they don't get what they want from the United Nations come
 JS> September, anything could happen, and probably will.

 That is quite possible.

 JS> I am reminded of some verses that were written by the Old
 JS> Testament Prophet Zechariah where he writes the following:

 ...

 JS> shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy
 JS> all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will

 Except that you are not going to see any nations come together
 against Israel.

 ...

 JS> While certain modern Bible teachers claim that the previous
 JS> verses are describing our current time, and the situation
 JS> in the Middle East, I am not so certain of this. I am more

 And you are right.

 ...

 JS> But my point in sharing the verses from the Book of
 JS> Zechariah with you is to say this: Just as Jerusalem became
 JS> a burdensome stone and a major problem for the Romans due
 JS> to the belligerence of the Jews -- so much so that the
 JS> Romans ultimately smashed Jerusalem to bits  in 70 AD --
 JS> modern Israel and Jerusalem once again weigh heavily on the
 JS> minds of many politicians, both in America and abroad.
 JS> Despite effort after effort, the years and decades pass,
 JS> the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved, and
 JS> the level of hostility towards Israel continues to grow.
 JS> Benjamin Netanyahu is certainly not doing his nation a
 JS> favor by publicly displaying such belligerence and
 JS> obstinacy. He is an incorrigible hawk who is set in his
 JS> ways, and he needs to move out of the way before it is too
 JS> late.

 Dang you made sense. Stop that!


BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

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