Peace in the Middle East?

Christianity Today online reports that eighty evangelical leaders have signed some sort of petition calling for a "fair" two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wow! If only someone would have thought about this before?!? (Note sarcasm).

This is another example of well-meaning people not know what they are talking about. Ironically, theologians often complain that people who have barely read the Bible or spent less than a few minutes thinking about a complex issue have the temerity to lecture them about the Bible or said issue. Yet, these same theologians have read hardly anything of any depth on foreign policy, economics or even modern history.

A liberal rabbi wrote a piece in The New Republic about seven years ago arguing that peace between Israelis and the Palestinians will not happen until there is a true consensus among both people for peace. Heads of state can sign anything they want but without the support of the people it will come to naught. In other words, yet another top-down agreement will simply vanish like vapor in a matter of months or years. There must be a strong majority in each "state" before peace is possible and such a majority does not exist at the moment.