CALM DOWN !!--Peace is NOT at hand!!

Amazing, simply amazing !!! It happens every few years ---during Oslo----right after Sharon threw the Jews out of Gaza—and on and on. Its inevitable the media gets all excited claiming that Israeli/Palestinian peace is Just around the corner. Now the hype is happening again.

Deputy minister, Ephraim Sneh has created a new peace plan together along with soon to be disposed (I hope) Defense Minister Amir Peretz-- Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, presented a new plan to Condi Rice and the big news excitement is all about the famous "quartet" is getting together for a meeting (personally I prefer the Three Tenors any quartet). The quartet is composed the US and three parties who, at best, do not support Israel on most issues, at worse want too see her distroyed. They are the EU, the UN and Russia (who recently announced that they are going to sell new arms to Syria)

Here in the US, the media is leaping at the chance to declare that peace is at hand. Just today, the Washington Post ran a story about a new Israeli peace plan. Hey media folks, I appreciate their enthusiasm, but you need to calm your buns, Peace is NOT at hand!!

I don't know where all of these press people are getting their information, but if they have more of what they are smoking, count me in. You guys have to start reading the newspaper, if you can’t afford one, remember you can read it for free on the net, try it sometimes.

Not only is peace not at hand, but it isn't even time to say that Peace at Hand-- is at hand.

Look at the Major Players in the war, Olmert is quickly loosing any sliver of legitimacy he did have. He reminds me of Nixon in late July of 1974, just before he resigned. Olmert is under indictment for corruption and the Attorney General's office is threatening to pull the plug on some of his powers. A recent poll indicates that two thirds of the Israeli people just want him to get the Hell out, eighty-five percent want his defense minister to quit. Of course these guys don't have the time to read polls, they are too busy fighting over who the next Chief of Staff is going to be. Don't be confused, Peretz and Olmert are not fighting about who is the best person for the COS job, this is a winner take all power struggle. The big prize of which, is the survival of their political career.

The prime minister may be able to sit at a negotiating table, but he no longer has the juice to build a consensus and get the plan through. He may want to make peace, but he can't.

What about the other side? Abbas, the fake moderate, announce last week that the people should point their guns toward Israel. The territories are on the verge of a civil war. He can't consolidate power. Even if he wanted to make peace (which is doubtful) he can't.

Hamas? Fatah’s civil war foe? Unlike Abbas' Fatah, Hamas is at least honest in their intentions they don’t try to look moderate. Last week they announced, "we will NEVER recognize Israel !" Now that doesn't sound like a peace partner to me. They don't want to make peace, they want a river of Jewish blood flowing into the sea.

With all of this going on, and other, more fixible international problems, Condi is wasting her time and prematurely exciting people with a quartet meeting. In the end, when there is no peace who are they going to blame ? Israel and the phantom “Jewish lobby” of course.

There is only one way this "quartet" will be able to make peace. They would have to lock all Israel, Hamas and Fatah negotiators in a room, don red striped jackets and straw hats and start singing "good night ladies." If they threaten that no one gets out until there is peace...there will be a plan in 15-20 minutes tops...guaranteed !. That is the ONLY kind of quartet plan that will work