[Publius6961]

TONY JONES: But what would be expected of him? What would Israel expect him to do in order to prove that he's at least holding up his side of the bargain, because otherwise, the whole process will be in the hands of a very small group - potentially, a very small group of terrorists.

There is a simple truth here, an obvious one, a subtlety that appears to escape some people.

I say this becasue whether the inability to see is conscious or not, the result is identical.

In one form of assymetric war, the main player allows unknown and unknowable killer groups to carry on the common goal behind the scenes, and continue to "condemn" the behavior while simultaneously both tolerating them and indeed actively supporting them, at the same time pretending helplessness to stop them and turning the diplomatic face to the outside world.

The permutation where the official negotiators genuinely cannot control the killers is the other possibily. The effects would be indistinguishable except for one glaring omission. If they are so weak as to be unable to control a small faction amongst them, then they are demonstrably unprepared to exist as an independent state.

[Fred Nerks]

"If they are so weak as to be unable to control a small faction amongst them, then they are demonstrably unprepared to exist as an independent state."

Exactly!