Gaza: how peace is lulled to eternal sleep

The good news is that there is quiet in Gaza and Sderot and the Western Negev. Everyone is glad that the Qassam rockets have more or less stopped falling in Israel, and Israeli incursions into Gaza have stopped as well. The bad news is that Shimon Peres, who for over a decade symbolized the hope of peace for moderate Israelis, doesn't believe a peace agreement is possible, as he was reported to have said in a private conversation. When Peres of the peace prize and the peace foundation, Peres the eternal optimist, the proponent of the New Middle East, stops believing in peace, those who hope for peace must be truly worried. Just when things seem to be looking up, Peres turns gloomy. How can this be? All decent people surely believe that talking is better than shooting, and therefore, the "lull" negotiated between Israel and... [read full story]