The Bush Administration has put all its weight behind bringing a peaceful solution to the most difficult long running world dispute.

 The Middle East quagmire.

 It is clear to many that of all the complicated world issues this one has no clear solution in sight. The vision of a two state solution is one that will never come to pass and this is the purported objective of the peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland. The Israelis cannot cede all land captured in the 1967 war and still survive as a country. There are in the area of 500,000 people who live in the entire area claimed by the Palestinians as their own. Though Israel did manage to uproot 25 settlements in the Gaza strip a few years ago removing so many people would truly be a logistical impossibility. The Palestinians will take no less than the complete pullback to the 67 borders which include East Jerusalem.  

Judaism’s only real holy site is the temple mount and Wailing Wall where stood the Jewish Temple. The overwhelming majority of Israelis are completely opposed to ceding any part of Jerusalem and certainly the Temple mount area. The Palestinians insist that all of East Jerusalem will be the capital of its future state and from their perspective their can not be any compromise. Even if the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian President could agree on clearly insurmountable issues both have little support at home. Olmerts coalition partners have said even a mention of compromise on Jerusalem will bring an end to Olmerts shaky coalition and new elections. From the Palestinian side the Hamas has said that the Palestinian President speaks for himself only and cannot negotiate on behalf of anyone. The Hamas of course is in control of the Gaza strip and has very popular support in other parts of the Palestinian authority.

 Everyone at the summit is biding time and trying to walk away from the conference with some personal gain. A peace breakthrough is probably the last thing on everyone’s mind.

 What then is to happen as a result of the summit?

 Anyone’s guess. The best thing that could happen is the continued stalemate, that’s unlikely. The more plausible scenario is the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and other places.

 President Bush is likely to try to salvage the summit to garner support for a military strike against Iran.   

 The worst is yet to come.