A Good Time to Pray

More today--it really is relentless--related to the difficulties in store for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his coalition, which at present controls 78 of 120 seats in the Knesset, if he deigns negotiate the future of Jerusalem during theoretically upcoming peace talks, or ever. A member of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party (12 seats), the primary opposition party, said Jerusalem "should not be on the table in any way." Not much wiggle room there. The same story has Yossi Bellin, a co-author of the 2002 Geneva Accord and the leader of the leftist Meretz party (5 seats, also in the opposition) countering that it should be clear that "the division of Jerusalem is a must" if any kind of peace can be achieved.

Avigdor Lieberman, Olmert's Minister of Strategic Affairs and the leader of the ascendant Yisrael Beitenu party, a coalition member with 11 seats and a large following among Israel's sizable Russian immigrant population, continues to advocate wholesale population transfers, which, to his mind, needn't be voluntary. And Eli Yishai, leader of the heavily Sephardic Shas party (12 seats), which is also, theoretically, in the Prime Minister's fold, reportedly told Condoleezza Rice that he would topple Olmert's government if Jerusalem were placed on the Annapolis agenda or if any other line that looks red in his eyes were crossed.

Lastly, there's Benny Elon, whose National Union Party has 9 seats, in the opposition. Last week someone from his office called to say Elon was ready to "unleash" his plan to solve the ongoing conflict. Unleash? "Maybe announce is the better word," the man corrected. He may have been right the first time. Elon's plan, the Israel Initiative, says that all talk of Palestinian statehood should cease immediately and forever, that Israel should take full and total sovereignty of the West Bank, and that Jordan should absorb the bulk of the Palestinian population. Elon showed a video during his presentation, an endorsement of the plan from Republican Presidential Sam Brownback, the Senator from Kansas who does not believe in evolution, particularly in this case.

Now, this same degree of passion, division, aggression, and opportunism can and would be replicated for each and every big issue that needs to be discussed. And there are some fringe elements that probably can't be counted on to limit themselves to debate and rhetoric. Of course it has to be noted that there are even greater schisms on the Palestinian side, except most of those who disagree cannot actually see or meet each other. Some are in the West Bank and others in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which is still cut off and where fighting still flares. (Actually, fighting still flares in the West Bank, too). So there is virtually no chance that they can even attempt to make another stab at forming a unity government--as they did last spring, for a few months, before the parties turned Gaza into a shooting gallery--or have anything that even mimics a unified negotiating position.

Condoleezza Rice is doing another round of meetings out here today, after implying yesterday that the date for the talks is still very much in the air. This morning, she was in Bethlehem, where a miracle is said to have occurred once, perhaps asking if another is possible. She said it was a reminder that "the prince of peace of still with us." If she could get him to come to Maryland, that would be something, but there'd still be long odds on whether he, or anyone else, could get this lot to agree on anything.
--Phil Zabriskie/Jerusalem