More On The Pothole To Peace

Friends, the renewal of peace talks in the Middle East does not bode well for the United States. Each time we engage in deals that give away Israel’s land something bad happens in America. Now, I do not know what the event will be, it could be an earthquake, foul weather, a hurricane a flurry of tornadoes or a terrorist attack but something really bad will occur.  Again, we will find that the Roadmap to Peace is our Pothole to Peace.

In a continuation of yesterday’s theme, a rocket from Gaza struck southern Israel yesterday, landing in a field without any reported injury or damage. Of course, Hamas is not a fan of the resumption of peace talks or any talks or any peace. You might call this a very destructive way of acting out.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the gestation period for a comprehensive peace deal would be nine months and that all the thorny issues would be up for discussion. My question is how does Kerry know the talks will take 9 months? He must know something we don’t.

“The parties have agreed here today that all of the final-status issues, all of the core issues, and all other issues are all on the table for negotiation,” Kerry remarked from the Benjamin Franklin room.

All of the core issues? Friends, the core issue is Jerusalem!

So Jerusalem is on the table now.

Coverage of the event in Palestinian media was minimal; with laconic accounts of firm American and relative Israeli optimism, taken from Western news agencies, leading in both official PA dailies Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah. Palestinian statements could hardly be found, and officials were unwilling to discuss negotiations with The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, various accounts of the diplomatic goings on pointed to a sweeping idea that the peace talks weren’t about peace. Once again the United States and Israel are trying to avoid a messy showdown in the UN where the Palestinians, emboldened by the enhanced status granted them last year, will pursue full recognition in the fall. As a White House official noted yesterday:

“The Palestinians throughout the course of this year have been making clear that if they couldn’t see progress on the peace front, that their intention would be to seek other elevations of their status, whether at the UN or other international organizations.”

What do the Palestinians get out of this? The continued financial support from the United States and possibly more. During their visit to the White House, both the Israeli and Palestinian delegations received letters of reassurance from the President, the contents of which have not been revealed.