Arab League blames Israel for talks stalemate | The Times of Israel

Livni: Bennett is like an ‘obstinate child’ | The Times of Israel

Israel explores penalties against PA for unilateral steps | The Times of Israel

Everyone complains about the situation as they see it, even though most seem resigned to the fact that, in doing so, matters are likely to move not one step further forward as a result. Which is much the way it’s been for the past seven decades.

From perspectives right across every political, economic and religious spectrum, there is a constant stream of people taking issue with this, that or the other. Israelis might look at things in one way and Palestinians can adopt a completely different attitude. The world at large generally strives towards a more middle-of-the-road approach, a level of consensus that’s never quite flavour of the month with either side, no matter how even-handed and reasonable such a position appears to be.

In other words, the whole lumbering juggernaut is bogged down in so much uncertainty and fear that the thought of actually doing anything, apart from spinning its wheels now and then, is too frightening to contemplate. Real progress can never be made since every attempt to do so is routinely shunted to one side and left to wither on the vine.

The painstaking and excessively pedestrian methods in use so far have achieved nothing of substance. Like a groove too deeply worn into an old gramophone record, the same section of song keeps playing over and over again. Time therefore to hit the side of the record-player with a good sharp tap, thus allowing all of the music to be heard, right down to its very last chord and crescendo.

Www.laxiankey.com – ‘for those of us with better things to do.’