Mid-East Peace Attainable This Year

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice must be delusional, first the State Department refuses to use the term jihadist or islamic terrorists to describe our enemy. Second she believes that peace can be achieved between the Israelis and Palenstinians by year's end. New York Times

JERUSALEM — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a series of talks on Israeli-Palestinian peace here on Sunday, saying she believed an accord was attainable by year’s end. But the process was overshadowed by an intensifying police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel.

Ms. Rice, who arrived here from a conference in London that focused on international donations to the Palestinian Authority, has held meetings with Mr. Olmert; the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas; and other top officials from both sides. In brief statements so far, all have been tight-lipped.

“We continue to believe that it is an achievable goal to have an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis by the end of the year and by the end of President Bush’s term,” Ms. Rice said. She focused some of her comments on the need for Israel to make daily life easier for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank.

Funny how she doesn't mention the Gaza Strip, run by Hamas and who's constitution includes "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.". So of course Rice has a optimistic outlook for peace before the year's end....

Also on Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt told reporters in Cairo that his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, would travel to Israel to discuss a truce with Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Mr. Mubarak said Mr. Suleiman would go “after the holiday celebrations,” referring to Israel’s 60th anniversary festivities on Thursday.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups have accepted a proposal brokered by Egypt. Israel has reacted warily out of concern that Hamas will use any period of calm to build up its strength. Also, Israel demands an end to weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza as a condition for a truce.