U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is at it again, forecasting for the 16th time this year that Israel and the Palestinian Authority will resume direct talks, according to two PA officials who conditioned their “stop the press” tip on the basis of anonymity.
Direct negotiations, as called for in the Oslo Accords, were suspended nearly three years ago except for a one time, two-hour stage show produced and directed by President Barack Obama.
This time around, the PA officials said, will secure from Israel a building freeze in all areas sought by the Palestinian Authority except for the major blocs of Jewish population, such as Maaleh Adumim and Gush Etzion.
It is difficult to imagine how chairman Mahmoud Abbas could stay alive and agree to back down from his pre-defined borders that the United Nations General Assembly already has accepted in a non-binding resolution. A thorough denial of the latest rumor can be expected momentarily from Abbas’ office, and it could be that his rivals leaked the big news.
The talks are supposed to resume in six to nine months, which would be halfway through the latest of dozens of “windows of opportunity” that are about to close on the chances for peace.
If one more window of opportunity opens, everyone will catch pneumonia.