The Peace Process Just Ain't What it Used to Be

It lasted less than a week.

The great upswell of hope coming out of the Annapolis Summit died a young death this week as Israel announced plans to build new housing developments in East Jerusalem, in addition to the announcement by the Defense Ministry that Israel should start killing militants in Gaza.

The peace process itself is not dead, but it is on life support. It would seem that both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, are simply suicidal. Peace would mean compromise, and compromise cannot come from either side where militants are in charge.

The religious Zionist movement may simply be too entrenched in the current government to allow giving up East Jerusalem to any newly formed Palestine. The religious right of Israel is firm that any Israel must have all of Jerusalem as its capital. Even a gerrymandered border taking in the Western Wall may not suffice.

On the Palestinian side, Hamas has shown neither the ability nor the inclination to stop the daily shower of small rockets and mortar shells that fall into Israel, launched by their supporters. This leaves Israel with no one to make a peace with and adds to pressure for the Defense Ministry to step up military action and end the barrages once and for all.

This leaves us with the Labour Party. Israel's second largest party and part of the current government, Labour has been making noises about a break from the government, forcing new elections. With so many Israelis frustrated with the current stalemate, they might pick up enough seats to lead a coalition government that will pursue a land-for-peace deal.

In any case, the peace process is on the very shakiest of grounds yet again. Instability in the region continues to drive up oil prices and the religious right wings of both sides continue to prevent peace and stability for the region. Meanwhile, peace lies dormant on a hospital bed, with no real likelihood of recovery in sight.