Netanyahu, Abbas back to square none

By Ramzy Baroud
Asia Times

"......Israel is in desperate need to remold its scruffy image, which has resulted from too many bombs, damming evidence of war crimes, and arrogant speeches made by numerous politicians. Any "peace process" at this time would indeed do Israel's image some good, although it will make no lasting difference.

Lastly, the Palestinian Authority, an entity that was created with Israeli consent, and funded by US-led donor countries, cannot operate outside the US political sphere. According to a reading of the just-published annual report by the Palestinian Monitory Authority, as reported by Ma'an news agency, the West Bank economic indicators for 2012 were terrible, and prospects for the next two years are even worse.

The PA has no political vision, and even if it did, it is too overwhelmed by economic dependency to act as a self-respecting political entity. The PA has to play the game, fully knowing that the game has been rigged from the very start.

All three parties know this very well, but they are willing to return to the negotiations table. Any table will do while they pause for photos, smile and shake hands over and over. By doing so, a media circus made of experts will resume, and are ready with metaphors, cliches and sound bites, as long as they are crammed into 30 seconds or less."