When Hussein Ibish is more coherent...

[Mediocrates]

When Hussein Ibish is more coherent than the fawning Hamas apologists in the west, you might have a credibility problem:

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=199674

Ibish also notes that Stephen Walt is childish in his stupidity.

[Mediocrates]

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=204428

Since the moratorium did not ever have much impact on settlement activity, the best way out of the impasse may be to separate gimmickry from reality. On the one hand, influential portions of Israeli society want to see more settlement activity in the coming months. On the other, all sensible parties, including Israeli parties, must recognize that, however it is marketed, Israel cannot be allowed to continue to reshape the strategic landscape while negotiations are proceeding.

This suggests the usefulness of an informal understanding, enforced by the US, that Israel can build modestly in “consensus areas” generally understood to be the likely subject of a land swap between Israel and a new Palestinian state. However, Israel must not engage in significant new land expropriation in the West Bank, incursions into Palestinian neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem, or building in the “E-1 corridor” that would cut Jerusalem off from the West Bank.

[dayag]

...Israel cannot be allowed to continue to reshape the strategic landscape while negotiations are proceeding.....

The Palestinians are building a new city called Rawabi. Does that not change the strategic landscape?

I say either freeze building by both or neither.

[Mediocrates]

That depends. Do we really care what the Palestinians do? The goal is to disentangle from them. Let them build whatever they like and at the end of bargaining there's timeline upon which Israel no longer shares any infrastructure. The Palestinians are notoriously bad at water treatment and management. When they have their 'strategic' cities it's their problem to manage. It will wind up like a third world slum.