Edward Said dies

[Abcdxxxx]

One only - That joke would be funnier if there wasn't an abandoned shell of a Casino sitting out in Jericho...they actually tried your Las Vegas idea.

Burbank - In theory I think a peace process is a must...but that's assuming negotiations can't hurt. The reality of the situation is a bit more complicated , because the peace process itself has increased the violence. Prior to Oslo, Arafat was in hiding, negotiating with the PLO was a punishable crime, and most of the Palestinian leadership were on the most wanted lists. When Israeli groups like Peace Now pressured the Knesset into peace talks, they allowed for an escalation in violence by promoting the status of the PLO to an actual "Authority". They forced Israel to make allowances like the creation of a Palestinian territory... none of this has improved the lives of Palestinians, nor as it helped Israelis feel secure... nobody's happy. The violence has spiked during key moments of peace talks. I don't think forcing someones hand into peace is an option, and I don't think the current representation for the Palestinians are working in good faith. Israel is deseperate, and they're going in too many different directions for any of them actually to succeed. There's certainly no reason to negotiate with Arafat, and the White House photo ops really don't do anyone any good. It's hard to have much confidence that any agreement or creation of a palestinian state in any form will put an end to violence. 100 half assed agreements and false promises are for more damaging then stopping the negotiations untill both parties are ready to come to the table with a mutual goal of peace.