With Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas in face-to-face meetings in Washington, some people are wondering what hopes there are now of peace in the Middle East.I fear chances are so slim they are almost non-existent. For years, US presidents have been trying to broker a Middle East peace. President Obama, who is talking of a substantive peace agreement within a year, is due to be as disappointed as his predecessors, for a variety of reasons.
Invited to the meetings were Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas, King Abdullah of Jordan, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Israel's most dangerous enemies, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, are not represented. Some of them are sworn to Israel's destruction.
There has been a lot of talk of two states living in peace side by side within secure borders, but the Palestinians will never be satisfied until they achieve their aim of seeing the Jewish state dismantled and the Palestinians possessing all of the land of Israel.
In a bid to derail the talks, Hamas gunmen shot four Israeli citizens dead at point blank range near Hebron on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday two Israeli citizens were seriously injured in a similar shooting near Ramallah. Their lives were saved only by their fleeing from their vehicle.
Debka.com reported yesterday that Syria and Hezbollah have set up a joint military command for sinking Israeli warships, and Hamas have brought all 13 Palestinian rejectionist organisations under one roof for a sustained bid to intensify terror operations against Israel.
There will be peace in Israel one day - when Messiah returns. According to the Bible, He will destroy His enemies, the curse will be taken from the earth, He will rule with a rod of iron and there will be wars no more.
That will be a day to look forward to.
