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Mon, Oct 29th 2007, 23:37

Lior Petek, University of St. Gallen, Platinum Contributor (216)

The Annapolis Conference is in my view all about “phony bargaining” as Lebow (“The Art of Bargaining”, 1996, p. 12) calls it. Both the Israeli and the Palestinian side just do not want to stand in the way of the outgoing US government’s pursuit of landing a flattering entry in the history books (indeed, Lebow makes a similar statement concerning the Madrid Conference in 1991, p. 22). I mean Gaza has become a new Afghanistan. Neither Abbas nor Olmert want to conduct any serious negotiations until the situation there has been reversed enabling the peace process to progress. Therefore, it will not even “lay the groundwork of a new, potentially hopeful phase that will continue into future administrations” as Kissinger wants it to.