‘Jerusalem to remain united forever, Netanyahu says’

‘Marking anniversary of Six Day War victory, prime minister calls capital ‘heart of the nation’; statistics show growing religious population’

Jerusalem to remain united forever, Netanyahu says | The Times of Israel 

Well, this speech certainly won’t help whatever new peace process might be on the blocks, not if it’s to get under way anytime soon.

Of course, the assumption here is that obtaining peace is still the intention of the Israeli powers-that-be and their Palestinian opposite numbers.

But then, maybe, it isn’t.

Perhaps all the politicians have really given up on their efforts to see if some kind of final status settlement can yet be reached. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was the case, especially as the latest attempt in that regard so spectacularly refused to fly, even though serious pressures were brought to bear and many hopes were riding on the outcome.

So what to do now?

Throw in the towel and wait for more favourable conditions to develop during the rest of the year? Or in the next? Or the one after that?

Try to revive the Kerry mission, that is if any pulse still flickers inside its present, somewhat cold and comatose body?.

Take the long haul back to wherever it is that these peace initiatives start up and begin the process all over again?

Wait until some miraculous event signals divine displeasure at so slow a pace of progress and then have everyone take their cue from that?

Or go for a more proactive approach and reconfigure the situation in such a way that no amount of foot-dragging, prevarication or downright indifference by either side can prevent peace from becoming the ‘de facto’ condition for all of the immediate and foreseeable future?

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