Salam Fayyad’s false optimism

Such expectations have been frequently voiced before by former Palestinian prime minister and negotiator Ahmad Qureia, or the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

But what is more evident are the facts on the ground that do not provide much support for these expectations. Fayyad's speech came a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his own speech outlining his own "vision" for peace.

If Fayyad's speech was full of the optimism typical of the PA, Netanyahu's revealed the mounting obstacles in the way of a real, just and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

These include the Israeli demand that a Palestinian state be demilitarized and effectively limited to populated parts of the West Bank with no mention of Hamas-ruled Gaza. East Jerusalem would remain forever in Israel's hands, and in addition to giving up refugees' right of return, Palestinians would have to recognize Israel as a "Jewish state."

Israel continues to expand its more than 140 settlements in the occupied West Bank while rebuffing US calls for a freeze on construction. If Israel does agree to a temporary freeze, it will undoubtedly demand a high price for even a temporary halt in construction.

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