Frustration

I'm sure the 20 or so of who you read my blog on an even semi-regular basis have noticed my absence the past few weeks. I apologize. I am very frustrated right now and don't really have anything to say. No, that's not right. I have plenty to say. I just don't feel like writing it. Of course, it mostly has to do with what's going on in Israel right now and the upcoming Annapolis "Peace" Conference.

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe that anything positive - or much of anything at all, really - will come out of it. There's no real threat of Jerusalem being divided, or that there will be a total settlement freeze, etc. No, nothing will come out of this conference except for a nice picture and some more empty rhetoric about the chances finally being ripe for the hope and reality of peace to finally bloom. And, it's that empty b.s. rhetoric that has me so frustrated.

Both, Olmert and Condi Rice are going all over Israel and the U.S. spouting sonnets on how, now more than ever, the chances for peace and co-exsistence with the Palestinians are at their highest and most realistic. Olmert states that Israel is "ready" to make the sacrifices necessary for lasting peace and the Palestinians are FINALLY willing to stretch out the olive branch. In parallel, Miss Rice is traveling all over the States touting that, for the first time in known history, Israel truly has a Palestinian counterpart to talk to that can deliver on his peace promises. They both say that the ground is ready. The foundations are set. It has truly come time for peace.

Blah, blah, blah. Is anyone getting tired of this broken record yet? I remember hearing these exact same words about Arafat over a decade ago. However, these words, NOW MORE THAN EVER, TO BORROW OLMERT AND CONDI'S PHRASE, ring ever hollow. The reality of the situation has never been in more stark contrast to this rhetoric than it is now. Since the debacle of the 2005 Disengagement, the majority of the Israeli people, even those on the left, have repeatedly stated that they are NOT willing to give up any more land unless a comprehensive and realistic deal is made with the Palestinians that will ensure Israel's safety and security. In case you haven't noticed, Israel's safety and security hasn't even been MENTIONED in any of Olmert's, Condi's, or, most importantly, the peace maker of the hour, Abu Mazen's speeches in the lead-up to Annapolis.

When Arafat was called the ultimate savior of the Palestinian people and the one and only man that Israel could make peace with, he, at least, was a total dictator. He had full control on his organization and was able to reign in the other terrorist groups when he wanted to. Conversely, he was, of course, able to unleash them at will he so desired. Abu Mazen is nothing more than a pathetic weakling of a politician; a rat in a suit that's caught in a maze he can't control. He's no Arafat, and the people, and most importantly, all the organizations know it. All these pathetic carrot attempts to strengthen are only making him more weak in the eyes of the Palestinians. How can Condi really get up with a straight face and claim this is the Messiah of the Palestinian people, the one, even more so than Arafat, that can lead his "nation" to peace??? He lost Gaza even-though Fatah out-numbered and out-gunned Hamas. Hell, it's wasn't even much of a fight. He lost the Parliamentary majority to Hamas in the 2006 elections. He's running a ship with no rutter and a big gaping hole in the hull. He can no more deliver peace than he can promise to win the people's majority in the next elections.

While Olmert claims that the Palestinians are prepared for peace, he can't even ensure the safety of his own people from those said Palestinians. Rockets continue to rain down from Gaza, and he's not doing what's necessary to stop it. Hell, he still hasn't even visited the place. You Americans thinks it's so terrible that it took President Bush THREE WHOLE DAYS to visit New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck. Try having Bush not visiting New Orleans for over year, all the while the whole city is being drenched in flood waters that entire time. Try having him not even talk about it, EVER. Terrorist attacks are still being planned and, some are succeeding (You can't stop them all), in the West Bank. The Palestinian people still cry out for the Jews to leave all of Palestine and to go back to where they came from. Of course, I could say the same to the Palestinians, but they would cry out that they've been here since Adam and Eve. Now, who can argue with that? Ask any Joe Shmoe Muhammad Palestinian on the street, and they will still tell you that they support Hamas and ALL of its aspirations, that they want their own state, meaning from the river to the sea, and that they have no desire to have a Jewish neighbor of any kind. As Shaul Singer wrote in the Jerusalem Post this past weekend, in his article, "Measuring Success":
"... the current Palestinian position, which is essentially: What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too. As author Amos Oz write in an op-ed in 2001, 'Peace will arise only when the two peoples face the reality: There is your house and your garden and here is my house and my garden. Now, however, the Palestinians are saying to us: You get up and leave my house (evacuate settlements) and I will also come and live in your house (the right of return)'."

So, yes, I'm frustrated.

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