Thursday September 30, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

The Palestinians are continuing to shout about Israeli settlements. They have threatened to walk out on the talks and have no interest in pursuing an agreement if there is continued Israeli settlement activity.

The Palestinians have begun to harness international leaders and world opinion to exert pressure on Israel to stop building.

One senior PLO official, Hanna Amireh, articulated the Palestinian plan very clearly. He said: "The consensus is that since the entire world is in favor of a Palestinian state and against settlements, then let us throw this problem in the face of the world and see what they can do about it."

The idea of unleashing the world's anti settlement/ anti Israel venom could be very nasty. But one thing is certain: world opinion will not force Israel to bend on this question.

The only hope for success with the anti-Israel campaign is if the United States joins forces against Israel. The simple reality is that the only power capable of exerting serious influence on Israel is the United States.

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