There are two core problems with the Saudi peace proposal. First, it calls for full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967. This includes not only the Golan Heights, from which the Syrian army once fired artillery into the Israeli towns on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee/Lake Kinneret, but also the Old City of Jerusalem. There is no provision for the security of Jewish residents in Jerusalem, some of whom have moved in since 1967 and some of whom (or their families) have been there for hundreds of years. There is also no provision for access to the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) of Solomon's Temple, which was (by most reports) used as an outdoor latrine during the Jordanian occupation from 1948 to 1967.

Pledges of Jewish access were not lived up to during this period, so there is understandable hesitation to accept a Palestinian promise to do so. Neither side is particularly interested in the idea of Jerusalem - either just the portion within the walls or some larger, to be determined, area - being somehow made into a "free" city, governed by the UN.

The second major problem is that it requires full compliance with UN Resolution 194, passed in December, 1948. Section 11 of this resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.

This was probably possible in 1948. However, we are now 60 years down the road, and the number of refugees and their descendants has grown to 4 or 5 million. In an ideal world, should the property taken be restored to its 1948 condition and returned? Or should the Palestinians be given this land, with 60 years of improvements? Perhaps so, but it will never happen, any more than the tragic history of US seizure of Indian lands will ever be cured by everyone of European descent returning to "where they came from" or a murder be undone by returning the killer to his mother's womb.

Any solution to these problems must look forward, not backward. What is the best, most equitable, resolution? Damned if I know.