Peace, Territory and Jerusalem

It doesn’t require being at the head of the class in Politics 101 to know that meetings in Washington to establish a peace between Israel and Palestine is a desperate and cynical attempt by the Obama administration to divert attention from his collapsing political fortunes at home.

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Pollsters now openly suggest that Obama may be losing control of not just the House but possibly the Senate come Nov. 2, 2010. As it is said, the eyes of the fool are over the horizon. Like most of the strategy in play by the current administration, the Israel/Palestine peace talks dare people to speak out against them because they are then identified as anti-peace. It should be more about the reality of the situation and the chances of resolution. While the US is orchestrating the current talks between the two parties, the problem requires a global involvement. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US will not impose a settlement because that is the role of the two nations. However, the world must provide a wider role because the region is essential to peace in the Middle East and the world. This is why so much money and behind the scenes support is perpetuating the conflicts. The term Middle East is an anachronism but underscores the problems. What does it mean? Middle of where? East of what? It’s a hangover from previous conflicts and disputes of the British Empire. It is still in use, while similar terms like Far East and Near East have faded from the lexicon because the same nations and issues continue. While the two nations continue their negotiations the world must take actions that provide a wider context for their work and impress upon them the need for peace. It is unfair to expect them to resolve this without recognition that it is a world problem. It is the focal point of confrontation between east and west, Judeo Christian and Muslim, and the meeting point of the three racial groups, the Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. The latter is because it is the geologic and geographical pivot point of Europe, Asia and Africa. Among his other roles, President Barack Obama is now the proponent in the folklore that goes “What if I throw a party and no one comes?” Missing from yesterday’s peace pow wow were Israel’s biggest enemies, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Lebanon and Hamas. You can talk a big game with “Direct Talks” toward Middle East Peace with players like Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair of Mea Culpa Iran new book fame, Jordan’s King Abdullah 11, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but never force peace by proxy among the ravening missing. The primary objective must be agreement on the territory. Winston Churchill said no conflict was over until territorial disputes were resolved. Current peace talks in Washington cannot overcome millennia of hatred and distrust as long as two nations battle over the same state. Unless the two nations are willing to live together in the same state two separate states is the only solution. A major gesture by the world is needed to speak to the importance of the area and serve as the foundation for a meaningful resolution of the conflicts. At the centre of the conflict is the city of Jerusalem. Some propose a division of the city but that will not work. It’s essential that the UN declare the city international and under their jurisdiction. It is the only truly international city in the world and the centre for too many religions and cultural groups to be apportioned or in the dominant control of one group. Then to do something even more useful the aging UN headquarters in New York should be closed and moved to new quarters in Jerusalem. It is a much more central location for geographic, historic and cultural reasons and places UN diplomats, politicians and bureaucrats in the heart of world conflicts, where they more rightfully belong in the world of Geopolitics. Cynically, one could add that New Yorkers will be happy to see them and their perpetual parking tickets gone. We all know that UN costs are reduced as airfares are dramatically reduced.