The Current Discussion: With the Israeli re-invasion of Gaza, it's clear that the "Annapolis Peace Process" is collapsing. Does it matter? Who's to blame?

The events in Gaza represent all that is going wrong with the way the “peace process” is being handled. Hamas feels frustrated having won an election fair and square (so much for wanting more elections in this climate) and resorted to force to take over the Gaza strip. As much as one puts the blame on Hamas, which is not ill-deserved, one must also blame those who have said they will not deal in a political process with Hamas. If the argument is that since Hamas is hell-bent on destroying Israel and hence, is not dealing with Israel, then let us not forget the PLO charter that stated the same and how they are today bedfellows in a faulted peace process.

In my recent book, I argued that the region expects fairness from the U.S. and the U.N., which implies that Israel should receive the same condemnations a rocket-launching Hamas or suicide bomber would receive. Both extremes, whether they be the overkill of Israeli forces or the madness of suicide bombers, are wrong. One can either sit and try to analyze who fired the first shot, or as sensible humans we can ask both sides to disengage, accept that Hamas has a political mandate, and deal with them, the PLO and the Israelis on ONE platform for peace. It would be totally unwise to even think that a peace process that ignores the chosen party of the electorate of Palestine can be a workable peace.

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So what if the Governor of New York hired a prostitute? Did he force her? Not pay her for the service? If so, then that might be an issue. Perhaps it’s illegal, but then how can you regulate the oldest profession in the world? I am against human trafficking, and forcing people against their will. But the question is not what he did – the real question is, because of who he is, should he have done it? Does being with a prostitute impair his ability to govern the State of New York? Probably not.

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The U.S. State Department needs to get its head examined. Who in their right mind would say that China has turned the corner and become a state that has respect for human rights? The brutality of the Chinese government towards the people of Tibet, the massacre of its people and the total indignity with which it conducts it affairs on the issue of Tibet is nothing but a reflection of its sad and dismal track record. It’s no surprise that the U.S. State Department has been soft on China for decades, given the need to uphold business interests there. The U.S. government honors the Honorable Dalai Lama on one hand, and on the other hand turns a blind eye to the way the Chinese government conducts itself in Tibet.

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