This is how the lead up to historic peace summits always goes, right?

A 29-year-old Israeli civilian was killed Monday night in a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim. The man, a resident of Kedumim, was driving toward the settlement of Karnei Shomron in the northern West Bank, when gunmen in a passing vehicle opened fire, critically wounding him... Israel Radio reported Monday that the assailants fled in the direction of nearby Palestinian towns, but Israeli troops were scouring the area... Meanwhile, five Qassam rockets and 18 mortar shells struck the western Negev on Monday. One female soldier suffered shock when a rocket struck the city of Ashkelon, and was taken to Barzilai Medical Center for treatment. Several buildings suffered light damage.

We're expecting headlines like "Dozens Of Palestinian Missiles Fired At Israeli Civilians; Peace Talks Endangered" to be plastered all over newspapers in the morning. And by "expecting" we mean "not expecting." Rumor has it that the State Department is finally ready to issue invitations to Annapolis. We're not very good at numbers, but doesn't it kind of seem like a statistical certainty that at least some of those invitations will go to what must be hundreds and hundreds of Palestinians involved in the daily bombardment of Israeli schools and hospitals? Just out of the sheer luck of the draw?

And of course, Israel can't clean out the Gaza rats' nest because they're being held hostage to "goodwill gestures" in the leadup to Annapolis. And in the meantime, Hamas is preparing for an all-out war with the most complex combination of military tactics and assets that the Palestinians have ever had. Dozens more Israelis will directly die later because Israel is not permitted to defend itself right now.

References:
* Israeli civilian killed in W. Bank shooting attack [Ha'aretz]
* U.S. set to issue official invites for Mideast peace conference [Ha'aretz]
* Hamas Has Smuggled 112 Tons Of Explosives Into Gaza, Preparing Bunker System For All Out War (Plus: Israel Suspends Decision To Cut Fuel On Humanitarian Grounds) [MR]

Previously:
* Barak: No Seriously, The Rockets Will Stop Or The IDF Will Stop The Rockets
* Update: Hamas Soldiers Still Firing Rockets At Israeli Schools and Hospitals, 1.5 Tons Of Explosives Seized
* Hamas Smuggles Katyushas Into Gaza, Fires Them At Israeli Schools And Hospitals (Plus: Eight Mortars Fired At Israeli Civilians, One Scores Direct Hit)