As US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begins yet another visit to the region, the purposefulness of such visits comes into serious question. Tackling the differences between the Palestinians and the Israelis is something that could be done only by addressing the real issue.
Rice's current visit would be her third to the region in six weeks. But if she has failed so far to bring about an amicable agreement between the two parties - and ahead of the upcoming US-sponsored international peace conference - then perhaps the entire approach should be re-examined and changed. Any negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis should focus on the core issues that are of concern. After all, the goal is to reach a lasting and not temporary peace deal between the two sides.
Perhaps the best approach to the entire situation is expressed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad when he stated: "I think we need to really begin to see some bold [Israeli] moves in the direction of dealing with those issues of the here and now, for the people to buy into the process." Otherwise, these deliberations would be meaningless as the process could be ongoing endlessly and pointlessly.
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