Really, really EFL
To prove that Middle East peacemaking is possible, self-appointed Israeli and Palestinian negotiators came together here today to sign a sweeping shadow agreement that calls for creation of a Palestinian state and provides a mechanism for resolving the status of Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees and the city of Jerusalem. The unreality of the event was overshadowed by the painful pleas from the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to their leaders not to kill them when they returned home to talk to each other once again about a permanent solution. The United States, whose involvement is crucial for any meaningful peace agreement in the Middle East, was represented by an unidentified junior coffee-boy member of the political section of the United States mission in Geneva. Secretary Powell had been invited but had to wash his hair that day declined. Negotiators said that they wished forlornly hoped to meet Mr. Powell on Friday in Washington.
Among those bearing witness to the unofficial process here today were three recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, including former President Jimmy Carter; three United States dummycrats congressmen; and several former French cabinet ministers, including Simone Veil, who survived a Nazi death camp. "It is unlikely we will ever see a more promising foundation for peace," Mr. Carter said in a speech, adding that while there would be inevitable changes, should the official peace process begin anew, "the basic premises must remain intact."
"The only way to peace is through appeasement, y’all."
Mr. Carter, when asked in an interview whether the absence of progress so many years after Camp David was bittersweet for him, replied, "It’s not bittersweet, just sweet." But then his frustration over losing to a California actor twists in history and missed opportunities spilled out. "The bitterness comes from the fact that the top leaders have not been willing to witness the destruction of Israel move with this degree of effort," he said. Mr. Carter, defeated in his quest for re-election by Ronald Reagan in 1980, speculated that "had I been elected to a second term, with the prestige and authority and influence and reputation I had in the region, we could have moved to a final solution."
Final solution, eh Jimmy? |