The Number One item on the agenda this week at the scheduled resumption of direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel is nothing more than setting a timetable for continuing talks and deciding what will be discussed.
The following items are not on the agenda: Jerusalem, final borders, the Arab demands for flooding Israel with foreign Arabs claiming Israel as their home, incitement, recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and the status of Jews in a future PA state.
The script is a replay of hundreds of previous Israeli “goodwill gestures” to save the political life of chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel removed roadblocks, and the Palestinian Authority continues to incite.
Israel removed checkpoints, and Palestinian Authority terrorists use the opening to shoot and kill Jews.
Israel released more than 1,000 terrorists to bring back home kidnapped Gilad Shalit, and dozens of the terrorists went back to their pastime of attacking Jews.
This time around. Israel is receiving nothing by talk.
Tuesday’s scheduled direct talks will deal with future talks, Haaretz reported.
In other words, as soon as Israel starts to free terrorists, Abbas can play his game of stretching the rubber band again.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian Authority and Israel are acting as if they don’t know what the issues are.
In fact , they don’t.
For Kerry, the issue is forcing both sides to sign a piece of paper and win the prize as artificial peacemaker,.
For Netanyahu, the issue is forfeiting Jewish sovereignty over more than 100 Jewish communities and expelling Jews in return for securing security and putting an end to Palestinian Authority demands.
For Abbas, the issue is winning another concession from Israel without giving up anything, a strategy that has worked for 20 years.
Memories are short.
Two years ago, President Barack Obama brought Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu together for a well-publicized resumption of direct talks. That was the first day of the renewed direct talks.
It also was the last day.