The Illusion of Israeli/Palestinian Peaceful Conflict Resolution

by Stephen Lendman

Peace talks are more pretense than real. They've been that way for decades. Initiatives were always stillborn. They reflect the greatest diplomatic scam of all time.

It's no different now. Peaceful conflict resolution's a convenient illusion. It's guaranteed. Chances for success are ZERO. Smart money knows but won't say.

Yehuda Bauer is Hebrew University Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry Professor Emeritus. A previous article discussed him.

He's a holocaust scholar. He studied genocide for decades. He prioritizes ways to stop it. What does "Never again" mean, he asks? It's an "empty slogan." It belies the fact that holocausts repeat.

He says Netanyahu doesn't know history. He's an ideologue. He believes Jews should rule greater Israel. He's mindless of Palestinian rights.

Bauer said settlements and right-wing extremism destroyed the original Zionist dream. He's appalled at how Israel treats Palestinians.

In May 2011, he signed a "declaration of independence from the occupation." He urged Israel to recognize Palestinian self-determination.

He supports a "democratic state within the 1967 boundaries, with certain territorial exchanges."

He believes a Jewish state is "obliged not only to make peace with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors, but (offer) the possibility for national-cultural development and full equal rights to the Arab minority living in the State of Israel."

He says settlements are "working against us and endangering us. We have to remove the majority of the settlers from the territories, which are actually areas of the State of Palestine."

He calls major powers pressure the only way to do so. He urges peace talks conducted the same way. He wants them continued "until white smoke emerges."

"The instant it is decided to stop financing the settlements, that story will come to a swift end." Otherwise, Masada 2.0 may follow.

On August 18, Bauer headlined "Why the US has been failing to broker peace for 40 years," saying:

US pressure forced talks. Chance for success is "miniscule." It's