Managing the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: Netanyahu’s Opportunity to “Reset” Expectations

I hope Netanyahu sticks to his guns and stands firm that the current environment is not conducive for peace talks. The mere act of trying to force a negotiation that everyone knows is futile only leads to unmet expectations, anger, recriminations and more damage to the relationships between all parties involved.

It's a matter of being realistic, which is not Obama's inclination. He is negotiating a nuclear path with Iran - while ignoring their sponsorship of terrorism towards Israel and other countries. Obama would like to ignore the existence of Hamas, the PA denial of Israel as a Jewish State, the fact that Abbas is not elected and does not speak for the Palestinians in the West Bank - much less Gaza and the diaspora. Or that the physical separation between Gaza and the West Bank is an obstacle that has to be dealt with (Gaza/Sinai = Palestinian State).

Netanyahu is taking a lot of lumps at the moment, and he must make sure they are worth it by redefining - or "resetting" the expectations of those international players who make a living in promoting futile non-productive "peace plans".

Managing the level of conflict between the parties and improving conditions on the ground is the best that one can expect.