Diplomatic Pseudorealism

Sec. State Rice continues to proffer the view that a Palestinian state is inevitable and that Israel will accept some Palestinian state next door. It completely ignores the fact that the Palestinians will never accept Israel - they don't want a two-state solution, but a one-state replacement of Israel with their version of hell on earth.

The time has come for establishing a Palestinian state and it’s in the interest of the U.S. to do so, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday in one of her most forceful statements yet on the issue.

The comments from Rice, after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, suggested that the Bush administration is determined to try to bridge the wide gaps between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference.

The gathering is expected to take place next month, though a date has not been announced. Moderate Arab countries, whose participation is widely viewed as critical, have not committed to attending.

Standing next to Abbas, Rice defined Palestinian statehood as a U.S. interest. “Frankly, it’s time for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Rice said.

It's not that simple, though I think the latest diplomatic flurry is designed to keep everyone focused on the Palestinian terror mess (when they refuse to accept the latest Israeli appeasement/capitulation gesture) and to keep Rice and the pseudorealists busy while the real work of safeguarding Israel and the US gets done in the shadows (see the September 6 raid into Syria for example).

The Palestinians will not accept even this most generous offer. It's against their nature to accept the terms set out by Israel, even if Israel is giving up sole control over Jerusalem. The Palestinians will simply add terms to their demands, which really haven't changed one whit since 1967 (or 1948) - the destruction of Israel. Arafat couldn't pull the trigger on a similar deal in 2000 at Camp David, and Abbas will not do so either.

Abbas is simply working off the Arafat template. He knows that he can't accept anything less than Israel's destruction because his life would be over because he would have left other "grievances" on the table like right of return, which no nation would ever accept.

Further, the Palestinians have already turned those areas under its control into terrorism home-base, as rockets and mortars continue flying into Israel on a near daily basis from Gaza, and terrorist operations continue to get disrupted in Palestinian areas of the West Bank.

Palestinians complain that Olmert's comments on Jerusalem are insufficient. Partitioning Jerusalem will be insufficient. Sole control and access to the Temple Mount will be insufficient. Give an inch, and the Palestinians will demand a mile - and then some.

Yossi Beilin, who helped craft Oslo, is a proponent of splitting Jerusalem, calling Jerusalem a divided city despite Israel's claim to the entirety. Here's a newsflash for Beilin - Jerusalem can have a diverse population and still be united as a city as Israel's capital.

In the end, this latest peace process flurry will end as Madrid did all those years ago - lots of talking, but nothing accomplished except a further undermining of Israel's security posture. The talks simply set the tone for the next set of diplomatic efforts, which further undermine Israel's capabilities to defend itself.

No where in these discussions are requirements that Palestinians fulfill their obligations under Oslo or any successor documents. How can Abbas agree to anything when he doesn't speak for all Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank?

Keep in mind that the Palestinians aren't even united in this - Abbas only control parts of the West Bank and doesn't speak for all Palestinians. Hamas controls Gaza and still seeks dominion over all Israel and Hamas further refuses to recognize Israel except as a legitimate target for destruction. How a diplomat thinks that they can bridge that gap with soothing words is asinine. Of course, the diplomats simply ignore the reality of Hamas controlling Gaza with the fiction that Abbas represents the legitimate government of the Palestinians.

Abbas could agree to everything Israel sets forth and it changes nothing on the ground for Israel since Israel's security posture is not improved one iota while Palestinian terrorists claim a victory in terms of land and expanded grievances against Israel for not moving fast enough. Gaza will continue to be a launching pad for rockets, and Abbas can issue platitudes all while Israelis die and are injured by rocket attacks and terrorists plot mass casualty attacks against Israel.

All the while, the Syrians and Iranians and their proxies loom in the distance watching and waiting for a time to strike.