You know how Rice broadsided Israel yesterday by linking East Jerusalem settlements to West Bank settlements to the peace process? Turns out, even the Palestinians had delinked that position from the peace process:

At a previous meeting of Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem on Dec. 27, the Palestinians agreed to stop focusing negotiations on their demand that Israel halt plans to build hundreds of apartments in east Jerusalem. But while negotiations are no longer being stalled by the controversy, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said settlements would be brought up in the Abbas-Olmert talks on Tuesday. Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said Israel would raise security issues, and urge the Palestinian Authority to be more effective.

This visit is going to be awesome. We can't wait to see what else the lifelong Arabists at Foggy Bottom can come up with. Maybe Arab autonomy over northern Israel? Why not? We're sure there's at least one anti-Israel "expert" in Michigan or New York or DC who thinks it's "the key to peace". We're sure they've been invited to at least one State Department sinecure where they all got together around a conference table and read "academic" position papers that conveniently conclude things that they all already believe. So let's throw that at the wall too, just to see if it sticks. Because it's sophisticated.

References:
* Rice: East Jerusalem Is Palestinian [MR]
* Olmert, Abbas begin J'lem meeting [JPost]

Previously:
* Condi: Palestinians Are Like Oppressed Blacks In The Jim Crow South (Plus: Hamas: "No Room For Jews" In Israel)
* Saudi Arabia At Annapolis: Israel Has No Right To Exist (Plus: By A Strange Coincidence, Their Conditions For A Peace Deal Would Require Destruction Of Israel)
* Obligatory Post About The NIE Report - Anti-War Partisans Switch From Sophisticatedly Undermining War Effort To Being The Bestest And Most Objective Analysts Ever. Except Not.

Cross-posted to:
* Israpundit