Regular readers of this blog know that I’m quite a fan of Shimon Peres (I know that this is the case, since regular readers of this blog regularly complain to me about being quite a fan of Shimon Peres). Here’s what I like about Peres: he’s (a) smart and (b) a patriot. Now, perhaps he was a little too eager to solidify his place in history after Rabin’s murder. Perhaps. But to deny that he’s either (a) smart or (b) a patriot represents either absurd malice or willful ignorance. So when he was villified and denied the Presidency because he was too eager to make peace with the Arabs, some ungenerous souls chortled. Here’s what they got instead:
Katzav held contacts with Assad without Sharon’s knowledge – Six months ago, Israeli and Syrian presidents exchanged messages via diplomatic channels. When told that Katzav represented only state and not government, Assad rejected proposed meeting.
Now the problem is that Katzav apparently doesn’t really much about diplomacy (or really, about how to do his job). So he wants to be known as a player, as a man who does great things and thinks great thoughts. Unfortunately, great thoughts are a touch beyond him, and so we get this. All the eager servile ingratiation towards Arab dictators, none of the delicacy or smarts. Good job guys.
