The danger in 'talks'

Jennifer Rubin is spot-on about the risks of trying to open talks with the 'Palestinians.'

The danger in talks, of course, is that Palestinian expectations rise and then are dashed, leading to violence (we’ve seen this pattern before). A former U.S. official tells me: “The risk now is of a quick breakdown that could even lead to violence in the West Bank.” He concedes that preliminary talks about talks could drag on before they peter out. He nevertheless cautions that “many people fear that the breakdown will poison Israeli-Palestinian relations further, which will help no one. And they will further weaken the West Bank leadership . . . against Hamas, reminding the populace that these guys achieve nothing (and have their hands in the till).”

Moreover, this is a foolish misuse of American attention and stature, confirming both to our Sunni allies and the Iranian alliance that we are fundamentally unserious about the real threats to region.

If Kerry wanted to be productive he might work on pushing the Palestinians along the lines former Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad urged — improved security, civil institution building and economic security. The U.S. official observes, “The slow and steady work of building an economy and government institutions for the Palestinians is once again being pushed aside for the goal of a handshake on the White House lawn.”

In sum, Kerry’s efforts suggest the administration has learned nothing from its first term. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not, as Kerry insists, the center of the Middle East’s troubles. Pretending it is invites failure, American humiliation and aggression by the powers that should command our attention. In the meantime, the prospects for an improved life for the Palestinians and a less confrontational relationship with the Jewish state remain remote.

Not to mention that whenever there have been talks in the past, there has simultaneously been terrorism.