Reference: Bush adamant on peace treaty, Bangkok Post, November 30, 2007

At the end of the much hyped Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that a peace deal could not be implemented until the violence against Israel from Gaza stops (Bush adamant on peace treaty, Bangkok Post, November 30, 2007). If that is the case, he was negotiating with the wrong person because Mr Mahmud Abbas does not control the Gaza; and we may safely conclude that the conference made zero progress toward peace in Palestine. If anything, the conference revealed that the world has developed a level of tolerance for the status quo so this is probably the way things will be for a while. The interesting question is why the conference was even held given the Israeli precondition. The answer may lie in a hidden agenda that has more to do with isolating Iran than finding a solution to the Palestinian quagmire.

Cha-am Jamal
Thailand