Panetta: Israel & Palestine must 'Get to the Damn Bed'

There is not much left of Palestine, except memories.

Leon Panetta, US defense secretary, has urged Israel to go back to the negotiating table with Palestinians and to address what he described as the country’s growing isolation- loneliness- in the Middle East.

(ALEXANDRIA, Egypt) - In remarks made at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Friday, Panetta said: “The problem right now is we can’t get them [Israel's leaders] to the damn table to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences.

“We understand the concerns of Israel, we understand the concerns of the Palestinians.

“If they sit at a table and work through those concerns and the United States can be of assistance in that process, then I think you have the beginning of what could be a process that could lead to a peace agreement.

“But if they aren’t there, if they aren’t at the table, this will never happen. So first and foremost get to the damn table.”

One is obliged to say that Panetta’s statement reflects nothing less than sound and timely thinking. And I’m sure he is proposing this entirely innovative and unprecedented idea for the interest of both the Israelis and the Palestinians and that the call for both parties to get together and work through their fears is not just one of the usual American stunts prior to the upcoming presidential elections.

But then again, what is the point of getting them together, no offence intended here, but what will they be talking about? Land for peace? Well, the Palestinians almost ran out of that item, they have no more land they can offer in exchange for peace.

East Jerusalem? Out of the question … West Bank? No, that is Samaria and Judea now. The refugees .. what about them? they will remain refugees. Gaza, that’s the junk yard of the region … who would want to live in a junk yard, crammed in dirty slums.

There is not much left of Palestine, except may be for some memories. Yes, this is it, memories … why they don’t get together to reminisce on the past. The good old days of Nakba and the glorious 6 day war when Israel with the help of American friends really f***ed the Palestinians.

I believe the former director of CIA is to be commended here. The man is trying to break the ice between the Israelis and the Palestinians after that long history of exploitation, land grab and blatant ethnic cleansing. And indeed nothing could thaw the longtime chill in the Israeli-Palestinian relation like the warm and intimate ambience of face-to-face talks.

In that sense, I think Panetta meant the two parties should discuss this frozen relation over a dinner table when he said “the damn table”.

And judging from the sources that confirm the former CIA chief is a regular viewer of “Curb your enthusiasm”, I think this specific episode of “Curb” might have played a role inspiring Panetta with this ingenious idea.

Let’s watch.

Please visit Dr. Ashraf's Website, Pyramidion - Politics & Faith – Egyptology & Art

http://ashraf62.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/panetta-israel-palestine-must-get-to-the-damn-bed/

Dr. Ashraf Ezzat is an Egyptian medical doctor whose passion has always been writing. He says of all the human-related studies, he finds himself attracted to history. Ashraf stresses that history helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be.

He says Egyptology holds a special place in his heart, for Egypt is where the human conscience sprouted. In ancient Egypt all things civilized began to evolve.

"I write articles and share posts of interest to me and hopefully to a lot of people." Dr. Ashraf Ezzat says you can drop him a line any time at: amenhotep.55@gmail.com "I like to exchange knowledge and experience, I think that`s what Blogging is all about."