Bernard Avishai is a reasonable man and he has a peace plan for Israel/Palestine. His conclusion"The point is, if we have learned anything from this past year it is that things that "cannot go on" eventually can't. The current carnage in Gaza is nothing if not a wake-up call: peace is not impossible, but Jerusalem could become a kind of Sarajevo in a matter of weeks, with Israeli Arabs joining in the fray. President Obama has the privilege of coming into power during a Middle Eastern crisis, which like all the other crises create opportunity. He can bring a new era to this region, but as with his plans for economic recovery, climate change, and the rest, the greatest danger is in thinking small."The plan:http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/25/whats_love_got_to_do_with_it_pt_2/#more

Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

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