Clueless Tom

With all that's gone on recently, especially Egypt in effect tearing up its long-standing treaty with Israel and the new found rapprochement between Hamas and Fatah (a prelude to a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood), it's beyond me how anyone can still think it's essential for Israel to get back to the table and hash out a "peace" agreement. And yet, there's old Uncle Tom Friedman, doing exactly that. He writes:

The current Israeli government, however, shows little sign of being prepared for peace retail. I can’t say with any certainty that Israel has a Palestinian partner for a secure peace so that Israel can end its occupation of the West Bank. But I can say with 100 percent certainty that Israel has a huge interest in going out of its way to test that possibility. The Arab world is going through a tumultuous transition to a still uncertain destination. Israel needs to do all it can to get out of their story, because it is going to be a wild ride.       

And I can say with 100 percent certainty that the Arab world doesn't give a crap about Israel coming to terms with Abbas over the "occupation" of the West Bank. It wants what it has always wanted: the end of Jewish sovereignty over so-called Muslim land (which takes in all of Israel); the (ex)termination of the Jewish state, that burr on its butt and rebuke to triumphalist Islam.