Obama has already spoken his mind and he has laid down pre-conditions

He supports the notion of a 'jewish' state;
He supports a two state solution;
He will not demand withdrawal from the settlements;
He will not support the right of return.

Unfortunately, the sympatico between the USA and Israel is so firmly anchored with AIPAC having already compromised any form of impartiality the US might have had in order to be an unbiassed negotiator.

One fact sure to be a stumbling block is the matter of National Security for Palestine. The spectre of Israel , armed to the teeth, fanatically anti Palestinian will not agree to a Palestinian state sufficiently armed to be capable of repelling Israeli agression.

ALso, Palestinians want the right of return to their homeland.
What we have in the present Jewish state is a state of Apartheid, extreme racial discrimination and an inbred hatred of Arabs in the younger generation of Israelis.

The only solution is a single state,governing for all citizens as equals with a Parliament of jews, Arabs and Christians, in balance, Presided over by a mediator acceptable to the three faiths

Of course all the experts will declare such a proposal as complete fantasy....That may be so but if there is to be peace, someone has got to resile from the 1947 decision that created this unworkable state and bite the bullet to return to the status quo that existed before 1947 and start again

feeling lonely David?

I think this is one of David's best articles on the topic. And whilst it's true that a lot of Israelis don't want to give up the thought of ruling over their true ancestral homeland (currently called the West Bank) almost all Muslims don't want any Jewish authority, or even Jewish presence, in the area which they over-ran in 634AD and now claim as theirs by right.
The majority of Jews can probably be talked around. Muslims still believe they are in a position of strength on this issue, and so will refuse to budge for the foreseeable future.
Until Muslims believe they are not in a position of strength on this issue, nothing will change.

#maracas1

I agree with your assessment of Obama's preconditions. He should pick up his Nobel Prize and run away as far as he can from trying to solve this long running conflict because he will only come to be totally humiliated by Arab intransigence like his predecessors.

I find it strange that you call Israel an apartheid state when 1.5 million Arabs comprise 20% of Israel's population and enjoy religious freedom, freedom of speech, the right to vote, have their own newspapers, radio and television stations and Arabic is one of the two official languages. Contrast the West Bank where selling land to Jews is punishable by death.

There was no decision in 1947 which created Israel. It was only created after seven Arab armies invaded Palestine to wipe out the Jews and were roundly defeated.

As I have said before the one state idea is dead in the water. The Jews will not be committing national suicide.

# Keith

The silence is deafening. Even you are gobsmacked!

#Camo

The Arabs were offered the equivalent of 100% of the West Bank and Gaza by Ehud Olmert and rejected it. What they want is Israel and nothing less will ever be acceptable. The PLO Charter and the Hamas Charter make this abundantly clear. Some day world leaders will hopefully take the time to read these anti Jewish diatribes and understand that until there is a sea change in Arab thinking any idea of a new Arab state being created between Israel and Jordan is simply not going to happen.

David,I don't know where you obtained your 'facts' but Israel is presently a Zionist neo fascist state that is committing crimes against Palestinians. Increasingly, Jewish people within Israel oppose the actions of the IDF and their humiliating acts against the Palestinians who in Gaza are under siege following Israels operation 'cast lead' that killed 1400 and wounded many more, forcing more into refugee camps.

Obama could relieve much suffering but I doubt it. The situation will only worsen with Obama unable to influence the course of action because the USA is financially owned by the very perpetrators responsible for maintaining the status quo.

Eventually,with growing world awareness of the truth, Israel is going to become more isolated and estranged as they lose what compassion holocaust survivors received from the free world and the prior notion of a jewish state will lose support in favour of a secular state where all faiths enjoy equality. Zionist Israel will implode from within possibly with the assistance from a new order of unity in the arab world

#maracas1

It is obvious you know nothing about Israel's demography and its democracy. Obviously you have no idea that 1.5 million Arabs make up 20% of Israel's population. Your apartheid claim is therefore pure nonsense. You should visit Israel yourself some time. And then go and visit Saudi Arabia, Lebanon or Syria to get some idea of how an Arab state treats its totally Arab population as compared to the Jewish state.

You obviously are also unaware that no Jews live in Gaza anymore having totally evacuated it in 2005. Israel's reward was some 8000 rockets and mortars fired indiscriminately into Israeli population centres since then. I suppose you think Israel has no responsibility to protect its citizens - both Jews and Arabs - against such attacks.

Had the Gazan Arabs spent the last four years developing Gaza instead of totally destroying the infrastructure left behind by Israel and destroying themselves in a bitter internecine war between Hamas and Fatah then a far better outcome would have been achieved and "cast lead" would not have happened.

Shucks I didn't know Israel financially owns America. Where did you get this "fact" from?

A "new order of unity in the Arab world"? Are you really serious?

I guess you would not like to post your address and name but prefer to continue making your outrageous comments under the cover of anonymity. I suggest you back up your comments with some hard facts.