Submitted by Dave Levy, Jul 17, 2007 22:42

So what's the alternative I ask, to not giving this latest peace proposal a chance? I am serious.

I am an ardent life long Zionist, and I desperately want Israel to thrive and survive. In 15 years of the Intifada, things have just gotten progressively worse. Starting from rock throwing children, now Israel is in a full scale limited war.

Iran, along with it's Syrian buddy, is controlling the conflict. Hezbollah and Hamas are convenient tools for it's genocidal plans (for Israel) and hegemony. Iran is a country to be reckoned with ASAP.

In the interim, Bush is trying to marginalize both Iran and Hamas, by taking away their ace card, the Israeli-Palestinian 100 year old conflict. I think this is a last ditch effort, like the "bubble" to achieve some semblance of peace. Like the "bubble" in Iraq, it's worth at least a try in my opinion.

There are many who believe the bubble won't work at all., perhaps. Iraq, Syria, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the insurgents...all part of the axis of evil now. They are all cut from the same cloth, and why not? They have enormous power.

In fact little Israel is the beseiged entity, not the Palestinians, who have unlimited support worldwide. Just read the news each day. Even Hamas has now begun to turn around it's blood coup in the Strip to it's advantage.

Hamas has said no to any peace conference, and any cooperation by Fatah, (Abbas) in this latest plan.

Some US officials and M.E. experts don't believe we can marginalize Hamas. They are too strong and too influencial. Let's face facts, they defeated 45,000 Fatah police, who (according to some Palestinians), were tired out by fighting Israel. That's a lot of bunk. Whatever the reason, Hamas is in charge. All the money in the world to Fatah, and the weapons won't help them.

But, I do think a peace conference is worth trying., if Egypt and Jordan can stop the smuggling into the Strip and W. Bank..take more control of the borders, I don't for one moment think these countries will take the territories back. I mean, why the headache. Jordan has already said no to a federation.

If there are benchmarks, and reciprocity as once proposed by Bibi Netanyahu, it might work.

But already we are seeing flies in this ointment. The final borders, right of return, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights are not on the table., and these are really the contentious issues.

This conflict, like the period prior to WW1, has many facets, all bad.

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