No Matter

Throughout 2007 and 2008, Hamas lobbed thousands of rockets into Israeli population centers. Their intent was to injure or kill Israeli civilians. Their success was limited only by their own incompetence and Israeli bomb shelters.

George Will comments:

Rocket attacks from Gaza increased dramatically after Israel [unilaterally] withdrew. The number of U.N. resolutions deploring this? Zero.

The closest precedent for that bombardment was the Nazi rocket attacks on London, which were answered by the destruction of Hamburg, Dresden and other German cities. When Israel struck back at Hamas, the "international community" was theatrically appalled.

Now, President Barack Obama, exhibiting the unlimited hubris that has become the hallmark of his administration, has decided to bring the Israelis and Palestinians to Washington for face-to-face “peace talks.” No matter that the Palestinian leadership is weak and represents only half of the territorial elements occupied by the Palestinians. No matter that Hamas (and its now replenished and improved rockets) remains committed to Israel’s destruction and will play no part in Obama’s little party. No matter the far stronger Palestinian leaders than Mahmoud Abbas have been offered significant concessions by Israel, only to walk away and at the same time initiate a murderous Intifada in which 1000 Israelis died. No matter that the Palestinians have never made a serious concession on any issue that might lead to peace.

President Obama will enter the fray, and with his enormous charisma, solve a conflict that has been an intractable problem for every president since Truman. After all, he’s been so successful in his other foreign policy endeavors. For example, using his vaunted “soft diplomacy,” Iran has decided to stop nuclear development, North Korean has made peace with the South, Russia and China support our efforts at the UN, Venezuela has decided to tone down its anti-American rhetoric, Afghanistan is going really well, … oh, wait, those things didn’t happen, did they? No matter. This will be different.