And apropos of negotiations, every negotation attempt has been a charade and in every case for one reason: the Israeli regime never has to give an inch. No matter what their depredations, no matter what their outrages are in Lebanon and Gaza, no matter how much they discriminate against non-Jews in Israel. They have the unconditional backing, in terms of trade and military aid, of the United States. They know that, no matter how much land they steal for settlements, no matter how much they repress a million and a half people in Gaza, no matter how many cluster bomblets they leave scattered over Lebanon, no matter how many children they kill in Gaza, the US will never do more than give them a little slap on the wrist. Hardly grounds for reasonable negotiations.