Rice Flies in to face Israeli Intransigence.

Condi Rice is heading for the Middle East and probably into trouble as she attempts to galvanise the peace process and start some kind of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.

The problem? She appears to have run out of patience and says she's tired of just talking:

"We can't simply continue to say we want a two-state solution, we have got to start to move towards one," Rice told reporters before a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland.

As someone who has been highly critical of the Israeli government's constant seemingly futile search for a "partner in peace" it doesn't surprise me in the least that the Israelis have almost immediately started dragging their feet.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to try to set a timetable with Rice for progress in advance of the regional conference scheduled to be held in Washington in November.

He will try to convince Rice that "joint declarations," including a mention of the core issues, are sufficient for the conference, and that a full "agreement of principles" is not needed.

Here we go....

Barak is supposedly ready to tell Rice that security comes before diplomacy... another well worn Israeli technique which signals that the excuses are already in place for why progress will not be possible.

Insisting on "security" is the means by which Israel claims the Palestinians must demonstrate that they can show results in the security realm before Israel can make any concessions. It's the cart before the horse. Security is actually the responsibility of the occupying force. The Israelis have come up with a novel reading of international law in which the occupied people must show that they can protect the occupying forces before the Israelis are prepared to make any concessions.

And the proposed concessions with which to test this new Palestinian commitment to peace?

Barak will inform Rice that Israel plans to remove 24 barriers in the West Bank in order to ease travel among Palestinian cities and villages. If this does not lead to any security problems, Israel will also remove a manned checkpoint and expand security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.

Twenty four barriers will be removed. And, only if that is deemed by the Israelis not to have jeopardised their security, will Israel get all dizzy on us and actually remove ONE checkpoint.

That's their opening position. I wish Rice well, but her task is hopeless. As long as the focus is only on the security of the occupying forces and shows scant concern for the security of the occupied people the task will be a thankless one.

And I expect it will be thankless because that's exactly what the Israelis want it to be.

Click title for full article.