LAT columnist Tim Rutten on Saturday relayed the contents of an interview between two Israeli journalists and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as described by the journalists in a piece published in the New York Review of Books. The trouble is, nothing Rutten relays is new.
Rutten says that Israel must make concessions in return for peace. It has seemed clear for some time that Israel is willing to do that. What isn't clear is what concessions the Palestinians are willing to make.
The first problem is that there are two Palestines, one in Gaza and the other in the West Bank. Each has its own government. Hamas in Gaza refuses to concede anything and the West Bank government is weak. If it concedes anything then it could be overturned by Hamas.
The second problem is that no Palestinian government has agreed to give up the "right of return." No Israeli government can compromise on that because it would end Israel's existence. If neither side is willing to concede on that issue then peace is impossible to achieve.
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