Thursday November 15, 2007

I've Been Thinking:

Condi Rice, chief diplomat for the United States of America just let her personal perspective on the Annapolis Conference be known.

It was not a faux pas.
It was a clear statement.

She said: Israelis must be prepared to make "difficult and painful sacrifices to some of their longest-held aspirations" at the Annapolis Conference.

She said: the region at this point is at an explosive level and "at stake is nothing less than the future of the Middle East."
There is much hyperbole in her words. There is also an opportunity for Israel.

If Israelis are prepared to make great sacrifices for the sake of an agreement they can pave the way allowing for a true, workable, solution to find a foothold.

Publicly, I do not hear Rice saying the same things to the Palestinians.
Privately, I know she is telling them to be flexible but I do not hear her publicly trying to educate the Palestinians about the need to sacrifice fundamental national myths in order to make peace work.

There is something wrong with that equation.

I am not looking for equality, I am looking for understanding.
The United States needs to understand that both sides need to openly embrace sacrifice for the sake of peace.

Previous US administrations blamed Israel for the problem.
We know that does not work, it is time to switch gears and move forward.

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