This diary will not, at least on my part, deal with who is to blame, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys when it comes to the Israel/Palestinian situation. As far as I'm concerned, there's plenty of blame to go around on both sides.
What I find astounding is that no one is bringing up what, to me, is the real elephant in the room -- the fact that the US used to be, and no longer is, an honest broker in the Middle East.
Yes, there have always been big problems in Israel and there has been fighting and killing and injustice. But up until our most recent occupant of the White House, there has always been engagement, a sense for both the Palestinians and the Israelis that there was someone at the table who was interested in brokering an honest deal between the two parties and who had the power to provide the carrot and the stick in helping make that deal happen.
This is no longer the case.
I don't believe the Bush Administration is doing Israel any favors by being so uncritically behind it and fostering the feeling among the Palestinians that there is no US encouragement for both sides to sit down and hammer out some sort of agreement. And look what this disengagement by Bush has wrought -- the situation in both Israel and the Palestinian territories is deteriorating, more violence, more unhappiness for everyone.
Before Bush, there were always at least incremental gains, treaties, such as between Israel and Egypt, the agreements between Rabin and Arafat before Rabin was assassinated, there was always some engagement. Now it is as though there is no hope at all.
The two parties have such deep hatreds and disagreements and desperately need peacemakers. Under this Administration there are none to be found. I'm sure that if this diary gets any comments there'll be the usual rants against the Israeli lobby on the one hand and against Hamas on the other. But there is no leadership today in our government to provide a real honest broker in this situation, and everyone will suffer for that.