Wither Olmert, Wither the Peace Process?

"Israeli Police Recommend Indictment of Premier," A6 (A11), Monday 9/8/08
By Isabel Kershner

Employing the Israeli police's recommendation to indict Prime Minister Olmert on various criminal charges as a starting point, this article discusses the nature of the criminal case against Olmert.

Some of the information in the piece actually proves quite useful, providing essential details on the two investigations against the PM. According to this information, the reader should understand the gravity of these issues.

At the end, the article overextends itself, attempting to inform the reader on specific legislation being debated in the Israeli government relating to the power of the Israeli Supreme Court and potential compensation for the voluntary evacuation of certain West Bank settlers. Unfortunately, the lack of context makes mentioning these issues almost pointless.

Where the NYT fails, per usual, is overemphasizing the effects of Olmert's pending resignation on the current "peace process" :

"The police recommendation underscored Mr. Olmert's standing as a lame duck and cast a thicker pall over the country's political future and its diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians and with Syria."

This particular author, Isabel Kershner, consistently appears to be quite out of touch with the possibilities of peace offered by current peace negotiations with Palestinians and Syria. First of all, Olmert is not the "lynchpin" to peace. The investigation against Olmert in this article should only make it clearer that he is participating in this diplomacy more out of his own political self-interest than in any true belief that he and his partners can realize peace.

Secondly, no mention is made of the corresponding necessity for the Palestinians and Syrians to be committed to peace with Israel, both of which continue to fail to make any such headway toward such a psychological position.

The Palestinians continue to believe in the unquestioned supremacy of their narrative, which would entail the consequent destruction of the Jewish State through the implementation of the "Right of Return." On the Syrian side, has Assad displayed any intent to forego his tight-knit alliance with Iran, Hezbollah, and the bevy of terrorist groups that reside within its borders?

Without any alteration of these basic facts, the NYT narrative only further separates itself from the truth.