If Rahm Emanuel gets the order of things wrong, we're in for a rough patch.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told AIPAC leaders Sunday that the ability to confront Iran depended on the ability to make progress on the Palestinian front. He said the foundation for an agreement must be security for Israel and a sovereign state for the Palestinians. Despite reports on a "softening" in the American approach towards Hamas, Emanuel said the U.S. expects Hamas to accept the international Quartet's principles - recognizing Israel and past agreements and renouncing terror. ****Of course, now it turns out that that "recognizing Israel" does not mean recognizing it as a Jewish state, so that the intransigent position continues ( with the addition that now there is also a Judenrein, purely Palestinian state AS WELL. ) This makes it even more nonsensical to aim for a "two-state" situation as a goal WITHOUT requiring the factors that make for peace.

The original mandate for partition in Palestine was "two lands for two peoples", making the required Jewish character of a Jewish state unambiguous.

Now, the goal seems to be a purely Palestinian state and a diminished Israel with a demographically dominating Arab population and with anti-Semitic hatred still being broadcast and included in the curriculum for Arab children.This is the folly of losing sight of the original story in favor of a politically expedient one. ****

Israeli Concessions Will Not Soften Iran, They Will Have the Opposite Effect - Interview with Minister for Strategic Affairs Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon (Jerusalem Post)

* There are people who believe that the way to deal with Iran is by solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The widespread conception is that the way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is by Israeli withdrawals. I believe that this whole idea is wrong at its core. If you solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict, it will not stop or even soften the Islamic jihadists.
* The Islamic revolution did not erupt because of us. Al-Qaeda was not created because of us and even Hizbullah did not rise up because of us. The Muslim Brotherhood was also established without connection to us. It was established in 1928 when there wasn't a State of Israel. It was not even a response to Zionism. Therefore, this whole connection is completely superficial.
* In addition, the attempt over the last 16 years to solve the conflict with territorial concessions has been proven wrong, since the conflict is not just territorial and over the definition of the borders and size of Israel but rather is about our right to exist.
* After Israel left Lebanon, Hizbullah grew stronger. The same happened following the Gaza withdrawal, when we were told that we would achieve quiet since we would neutralize the Palestinians' raison d'etre. Instead, we got a stronger Hamas and a Hamastan in Gaza.
* When you withdraw and surrender to the Islamic jihadists, you are essentially providing them with a victory. Therefore, anyone who thinks that Israeli concessions and withdrawals will solve the conflict and will soften the Iranians' position is wrong. It will have the opposite effect.