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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