Dear Friends,
Within Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the United States, final consultations are being carried out before the Annapolis Summit which is due to take place at the end of the month. Condoleeza Rice is talking of "the most meaningful discussions for years" between the Israelis and the Palestinians and Prime Minister Olmert is talking at celebrations about "hope" and "the opening up of all the core issues for discussion".
But celebrations are one thing and reality is another. Not all of the core issues are up for discussion. The negotiation around Annapolis is founded on two basic assumptions, which guarantee the failure of the summit and the continuation of the circle of blood. These basic assumptions are that the partner is the Palestinian Authority, and that the destination is "Two states for two peoples", that is a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
As long as we continue to march along this road – there will never be peace in the Middle East.