Morning Lines

Not unexpectedly, Israel goes ahead with plans to build housing units in East Jerusalem.

If you're skeptical about Israel, here's your line: "It isn't serious about peace." If we're impatient with the Palestinians, we say, "If they're serious about peace, they should stop setting so many preconditions and get back to the table."

You can blame the leaders if you want to. You can also blame their people. Remember that many Israelis still refuse to accept that they are complicit in the Palestinians' plight, while many Palestinians refuse to accept Israel's right to exist. I don't think President Abbas is politically strong enough to transcend his people's prejudices. That leaves Bibi.