generalspeaking

President Obama holds a working dinner with, clockwise from left, King Abdullah II of Jordan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Quartet envoy Tony Blair and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 1, 2010. (White House / Pete Souza)

"You are my partner for peace. Peace begins with leaders." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing his counterpart, PA President Mahmoud Abbas

Let the doves fling themselves into the gilded, expectant atmosphere in a heralding of the prospects of peace between hitherto intractable enemies. It is without doubt that people want peace, regardless of whether they are Jews or Arabs, Israelis or Palestinians. War is traumatically wearying and soul-destroying, even for people steeped in the belief that they have been wickedly victimized by circumstances beyond their control.

Victims who have nursed their grievance and dedicated themselves to overturning the state of affairs that left them without what they claim to have been theirs. The helpless rage against a fate that decreed they be bereft of what they held dear has been reflected millions upon millions of time throughout human history and there exists at the present date, according to the United Nations, over 40-million rootless refugees.

And these are not people who have claimed themselves to be refugees for over 60 years, but those who represent the tragic outcome of fairly recent conflicts. Only the Palestinians cling to their status as refugees, for what represents four generations. They have been ably assisted by their fellow Arabs, whose governments have resisted rescuing them from refugee status by offering citizenship.

Those very Middle Eastern countries who share language, religion, heritage and custom with the Palestinians but who refuse to recognize them as suitable to join their nation as full citizens with all the rights of citizenship. And the Palestinians themselves, having been groomed to their role by outside interests insistent that they remain as they are for the world to see how unjust it is for a Jewish state to reign in Arab territory, have resisted solutions.

The only solution that was recognized and clung to with a passion born of aggrieved victimhood demanding notice and restitution, was to eliminate the travesty of a Jewish state in an Islamic geography. And now, back to square one, again. With the world's diplomacy-interlocutor attempting yet again to bring the solitudes to an agreement. Trouble is, the Western, democratic world has little understanding of tribal passions.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declares he is prepared to "spare no effort" to bring the wearying conflict to a final end. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aspirationally welcomes his equal partner in peace: "President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our two peoples."

Hamas stridently believes otherwise. And lethally demonstrates its conditions for peace. Annihilation of the State of Israel, starting bit by bit, with the elimination of a few Jews here, another few there, until the job is done, and Palestinians can once again tenant the land that other Arab states steadfastly denied them as a nation.

And the Palestinian public, and the Israeli public, both fed up with one assured peace deal after another failing abysmally? Just inform them when the agony has been concluded. And is it remotely possible that an agreement can be cordially concluded to the benefit of the current state of Israel and the nascent one for the Palestinians?

Other than at the monumental cost to Israel of dividing the ancient capital of Israel to surrender to the Palestinians Judaism's most sacred sites? And absorbing a clamour to welcome four million Arabs into Israel, diluting its purpose as a Jewish state, and effectively returning it to an Arab state?

As for negotiable borders, that side-issue no longer relevant when Israel, Gaza and the West Bank are consolidated. And will that satisfy the enmities emanating from neighbours and in fact the world at large?