Daily Archives: 09/02/2010

(Community Matters) The latest Stratfor update below the jump

Two points that stand out: 1) this report’s dismissal of Israeli-Palestinian peace as important to broader Middle East peace seems contradictory to their analysis in the previous blog posting(earlier today), and 2) Ehud Barak’s statement “West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. . .”

If we ever get this far, more real, potential trouble is Israel’s very aggressive annexation of West Bank territory into the West Jerusalem city limits.  Combined with the need for access to the 12 Jewish neighborhoods, this potentially chokes off what Palestinians consider East Jerusalem, even undisputed parts of the West Bank.  There’s also an A1 annexation plan I’d like to better understand.  Again, the analysis below the jump

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(Community Matters) It’s hard to imagine the logistics and mechanics of such an auspicious undertaking.  If you have a prayer list, a meditation chant or just rub a rabbit’s leg now and then, hope you’ll include good wishes for these negotiations – peace between Israel & the Palestinians would change the world.   (photo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II; photo by APs Charles Dharapak)

Stratfor’s perspective below the jump – I find this analysis immensely helpful, albeit cynical as one would expect after all the false starts.  Note the perspective of Hamas as supported more by Arab states than Iran (contrary to the public rhetoric). What this analysis doesn’t allow for is that miracles do occur when sparked by great vision, tenacity and leadership:

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