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Israel's prime minister said Monday that he hoped to revive long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians, saying that they would be able to achieve an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through talks with Israel.
In what was billed as a major policy speech, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Palestinians stood at a "historic crossroads" and could choose to continue on the path of violence or peace.
If they choose the peace path, he said, "we will agree to leave large territories and dismantle settlements that we established."
"We will be willing to do this in exchange for real peace."
Though at first glance, this looks like a promising new development, I am only discouraged by this. Olmert has apparently learned absolutely nothing over the past ten years. This is not the first time that an Israeli leader has made a similar proclamation, and on all previous occassions they ended in the same way. As will this one. Unless something fundamentally changes in the atmosphere of hate that is brewing here, then Israel will only be weakening itself by giving away more land in exchange for some signatures. Nothing ideologically has changed on the Hamas/PLO since their latest proclamations that they wish to destroy Israel, do not recognize Israel, etc. And until that does, no high hopes on the part of unpopular Israeli politicians living in their own private dream worlds will change anything.
