We'll Always Have Annapolis

Whatever else Annapolis will be known for, it will not be associated with Oslo and Madrid, to its everlasting credit. Bret Stephens writes:

No wonder, then, that as skepticism about Annapolis grows its perceived significance shrinks. What was originally billed as a conference is now being described by the State Department as a "meeting." What was originally envisaged as a three-day event has become a one-day event. There is, as of this writing, no firm list of participants. And there are whispers the date of the meeting may be pushed back, perhaps to December.

As for the agenda, there isn't one. Substantive discussions have been ruled out. There was some hope that Israelis and Palestinians would agree to a joint "declaration of principles," but they could not come up with a common text. Now there's talk of issuing separate declarations, or doing without declarations altogether.

His best line in the piece:

Ariel Sharon is still in a coma, but it's his successor who's really on life support.

And the Annapolis 'meeting' is DOA.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Annapolis.