Israel Matzav

No joint declaration

At the last minute, foreign minister Tzipi Feigele Livni met yesterday with chief 'Palestinian' negotiator Ahmad Qrei Abu Ala. They failed to reach an agreement on a joint declaration to open the Annapolis conference mugging lynching. But now, with more than forty enemies of Israel showing up, it no longer matters.

US President George Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said the joint statement was not as important as it might have seemed when it was first broached. The two sides took the unexpected step of seeking negotiations, and the declaration no longer needed to serve as a vehicle to prod them to do so, Hadley said.

"If we get something, if they can agree on some things as an input to the negotiations, that would be fine," Hadley said. "But I think it is really no longer on the critical path to a successful conference."

Meanwhile, Israel's dimwitted foreign minister has characterized all those who are coming to the lynching as 'moderates.' I wonder if she will continue to say that when they all refuse to shake her hand.

Livni said the conference would be a defining moment in the Middle East, clearly casting those who came to the meeting as "moderates" and those who did not as "extremists."

"We are going to an event in which the whole Arab world is participating, which is meant to support the process between Israel and the Palestinians," she said. "There are those who are coming to Annapolis and those who are yelling and saying that it is forbidden to make peace."

Those in the later category, she said, included Hamas and Iran.

Again, Hamas and Fatah differ only on the means to be employed. They agree on the goal: to throw the dead Jews into the sea. And calling 'our friends the Saudis' and the Syrians 'moderates' would be funny were it not so absolutely sick that a representative of the government of Israel said such a thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:36 AM