Read more: Peres to Rice: World must pressure Hamas to recognize Israel | The Times of Israel 

But how is the world to pressure Hamas into recognising Israel when that world is itself never quite sure where ‘Israel’ is supposed to be?

1947 UN defined borders?

1948 borders?

1967 borders?

1967 borders + settlements +/- Jerusalem, East and/or West?

2014 borders + whatever feels right just about now?

Recognising borders isn’t always that easy, not unless there already exists some local understanding about the line of demarcation. And for the whole world to achieve anything like agreement here would take the term ‘problematic’ to its very extreme. It requires something way beyond the normal usages of cartography and common consensus to fulfill such a mission.

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