Insurance policy
Diplomatic activity on the Israeli-Palestinian peace front seems to be ratcheting up quite a lot these days.
The US president, Barack Obama, visited last month, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has been flitting to and fro ever since and the US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, is due to be pitching in fairly soon as well. Even Tony Blair seems to have made a rare appearance on the scene.
With so many high-profile actors on stage, many of them new to the production, it may be thought that something positive must emerge this time, something more tangible than that secured by umpteen past versions of virtually the same scenario. If not, then the situation will continue to deteriorate, perhaps at a rate even faster than that experienced at any point during the past 65 years.
Let’s hope, then, that Messrs. Obama, Kerry, Hagel, Blair will find sufficient leverage to extract better prospects from what has always seemed a downward spiral towards a very unhappy ending.
But has any provision been made for an insurance policy in case no headway is made despite such intense commitment to do so?
Can anything be done to erect a safety-net under whatever transpires in these efforts to restart the peace process?
Is there a fail-safe position held in reserve should negotiations fail to improve matters to any substantial degree?
As the ultimate fall-back position, this just might allow sufficient wriggle-room for all concerned to reach an agreed consensus on what to do next.
Otherwise, the usual default position awaits, that of the customary blame game for inaction and indecision being played out by and against everyone involved.
Is this what we really want? Is it all that can reasonably be expected now?
If so, then it’s a pretty poor return for so much endeavour on the part of so many.