Mideast peace process falters

Newsday: Despite the faint hopes raised by President George W. Bush at the Annapolis Mideast summit in November, the resurrected Israeli-Palestinian peace process may be headed for the grave once again. Less than a week after Bush ended his eight-day Mideast trip — a visit that produced no tangible results — another nail was driven into the peace talks’ coffin when Israel responded to Hamas rocket attacks by imposing a blockade on the Gaza Strip.

With the United Nations warning that 860,000 Palestinians in Gaza would face devastating food and power shortages, Israel relented slightly Monday and said it would allow some fuel to Gaza’s single power plant and medicines for those gravely ill — but only for one day.

Feeble efforts

The crisis is overshadowing the feeble efforts at restarting the peace process, already weakened by an Israeli plan to add more settlements to East Jerusalem.

With rejectionist political forces on both sides determined to sink it, the peace process has no chance of surviving. Hard-liners in Israel’s right-wing Likud Party see no benefits in the talks. Hamas, which controls nearly half of Palestinian lands and people, wants no part of the process.

Bush may protest that his personal involvement will make a difference, but Mideast reality contradicts him. Looks like he’ll have to find something else to burnish his legacy.