It goes without saying that when politicians get together for the purposes of doing “great things,” their rhetoric gets mushy, with banalities and cliches flowing like water. When the great thing in question is making peace, however, you can wonder whether the peacemakers are getting enough oxygen. After all, they tend to say things that make almost no sense.
For example, here is President Obama following yesterday’s White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: “This moment of opportunity may not soon come again.”
Oh, really? Why not. The Israelis and Palestinians have been negotiating since 1991 in various configurations and with various outcomes. And this particular “moment” was entirely manufactured by the White House. Who is to say the administration couldn’t do this again if it wanted. Bill Clinton certainly got more than one bite at the apple.
And what about this siliness from Netanyahu: “Everybody loses if there is no peace.” Not really. Hamas controls Gaza becauuse there is no peace. Hezbollah exists because there is no peace. Israeli business and industry is thriving, even during a global economic crisis and there is no peace.
If the direct talks are anything like this drivel, they might call the whole thing off.