Some common sense in the Middle East
Finally, a dose of reality in the Middle East. In what appears to be a first, the White House has acknowledged that any future two-state solution will not revert back to the 1949 armistice lines, but will take into account the reality of significant Israeli population centers within the West Bank.
This new posture will no doubt be greeted with scorn and criticism, not only by the Palestinians, but by the intellectual elite and the anti-Israeli lobby in America and Europe as well. Still, what alternatives does one have when only one side is willing to participate in the "peace process"? Having spurned an offer of 98% of the West Bank, how open can the Palestinian Authority be to meaningful, realistic negotiation?
The uneasy stalemate that has obtained in the region for so long was untenable. The unilateral action by Israel, now endorsed by the United States, is regrettable, but with only one side willing to work toward a solution, there's little else to be done. The Palestinian howls of outrage are predictable, but hollow. Even without a presence at the bargaining table, they are being accorded all of Gaza and the vast majority of the West Bank. All in all, the deal seems more generous than the PA deserves, given its track record since the inception of Oslo.