I respect their efforts. However, judging by the actions, policies, and events of the last 6 years that have been committed by a presidential administration that is staffed with an inordinate number of dual citizenship Israelis, zionist fanatics, and neocon criminals that place Israel's interests above that of our own, I see no hope of staunching the blood flowing in the middle east. IN FACT, it requires a deep seated attitude of denial, considering the above, to believe that the turmoil in the middle east is not being purposely escalated towards a "final solution" to the "muslim problem", using our wealth, our world standing, and the blood of our soldiers to serve a hatred that has festered for centuries. Bush is throwing matches at a powder keg, and Israel is egging him on.

Wow! Thanks for such great reporting on events going on 'under the radar screen' -- 'note' is only place I get this kind of info.

REALLY looking forward to your posts...

REALLY grateful for recent 'Iran' posts as well.

The Internatonal Women's Commission and Palestine/Israel Negotiations sounds too reasonable, too sane, too much the right thing to do--can wisdom ever really win in a world of crazy men?

Blessed are the peacemakers, Steve. Keep at it!

I applaud the Israeli and Palestine and International women..but they better work fast.

Our Israeli congress in DC is working overtime to turn Palestine into one big ghetto of starvation and violence so the conflict can continue until Israel's slow motion genocide and sucking up of real estate and US tax dollars can be completed.

What the delegation should do is carry some little sacks of flour into their meeting, then douse themselves, throw some around and scream anthrax! .. when all the congressional AIPAC poddles flee the premises in fear for their lives, lock the door and claim Capitol Hill as occupied territory.

Then they might have some negotiating status.

Steve:
Great work. Hope you have an interesting and safe trip to and back from Lisbon as well. Believe it or not, there are numerous examples of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans working together to create a better future for all concerned. I know a jewish American lawyer in Massachussetts who is working with Israeli friends, and a Palestinian lawyer friend, to create a call center in Ramallah! This stuff happens WAY more often than is reported. When my friend visited his Palestinian counterpart last year to have dinner in his home in the West Bank, the Palestinian gentleman served and raved about the Israeli wines he collects. SANITY and COMMERCE between these immensely talented populations can build bridges towards peace. Keep up the good work.

--Alan.

Carroll, I fear our astute grasp of reality has ran everyone off.

Hehehe....just kidding....hmmmm.....I think.

Included in the list of participants is "former Senator Gary Hart". Is there a reason he does not describe himself as "former presidential candidate Gary Hart"?
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Pissed Off American..

Let them run....:)

Whoever talks longest,loudest wins...seems to be the rule these days....so you and I will still be around when the "others' are all tuckered out..

Great, women are far better at diplomacy anyway, men are too aggressive by their nature and so are predisposed to fighting rather than talking.
And to some degree I agree with the 2 radicals(and I say it lovingly) Carroll and Pissed Off. That's why I blogged on tpmcafe and called it "Are We Israel's Bitch?"
I'm beginning to think so and I'd like to know if anyone else has this feeling. Our govt seems to sometimes put US interests sceond to those of Israel.

@theblogclub: Protocol is to refer to ex-officials by the highest position actually held. In Hart's case, that's senator.

@Steve:
Does the list of participants in your post reflect the makeup of the "Women's Commission"? I'm struck by how few women are among the names you offer; fewer than half of them, even assuming that the unknown/ambiguous names (Cem, Deepti, Sherle) are women.

"final solution" to the "muslim problem"? israel's slow motion genocide and sucking up of real estate and US tax dollars can be completed?

All I need to say is: wow!

Well Chris ..what would you call it?...

To my non Jewish, non Muslim, non Israeli, non Palestine, have no family,friends,ties to either side/country,no dog in this hunt, plain old fashioned American eyes...that's what it looks like.

And as for as calling it genocide, as far as I can see the only difference between the "hacking up people" genocide in Darfu and the slow "deprevation" genocide US/Isr has in store for Palestine is the "method" not the "intent".
It's plain to see the US will starve Palestine out if that's what it takes to make them bend to Israel's will.

The whole 100 million dollar plus American provided Israeli military vrs. the Palestine stone throwers and bombers thing goes against some of us Americans idea of a fair fight or fair play.

Yes Karen, I agree with you....

The Jewish-American AIPAC has too much influence on our Isr/Pal/ME policy...and there are others.. the Cuban exile lobby CANF who wants us to overthrow Cuba so they can reclaim their glory days of "elitedom", controlling our Cuba and LA policy......

Jesus, it nuts, every interest but American interest are running our foreign and some of our domestic policy.

You know Washington has lost it's feeble mind when some Treasury offical in the US calls a US related Sheraton hotel in Mexico and has Cuban officals staying there on a trade mission thrown out of the hotel just because they are Cuban...now what kind of little doo-doo in congress is even paying attention to such a thing that he/she would bring it to the attention of the Treasury dept and insist they have them thrown out of a hotel?..did it stop their meeting ..No...they just moved to another hotel. It was in fact an offical "Mexican goverment" meeting with them so it all it did was piss off both the Cubans and the Mexicans.
It was just an assholely, pissant, childish little nah,nah,nah of some congressperson throwing their weight around so some Cuban-American exile fart could get his jollies by waving the big bad US goverment in the face of some lowly Cuban officals.

What utter idiots.