Israel cancels summit with Palestinian leader in wake of suicide bombing

[Herschel]

– Israel's prime minister on Sunday canceled a planned summit with his Palestinian counterpart after a double suicide bombing at the Israeli port of Ashdod killed nine Israelis.

Aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Qureia, had met Sunday and planned to meet again Monday to finalize plans for their first summit since Qureia took office in October.

The summit had been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20040314-0856-israel-summit.html

Once again, terror damages the Palestinians. Their few remaining chances for input into the Israeli/American solution are vanishing.

[Gimel]

1. Torpedoed a summit

Timing with the Madrid attack and the planned summit, this bombing, which could have been a mega-bombing with chemicals stored nearby, propels the conflict. Overlooking the blasts, as Rabin did solved nothing. Peace cannot be achieved in the midst of terror.

[LibInternationalist]

2. that makes about as much sense as saying "peace cannot be achieved

in the midst of war" -- there are going to be terrorists, and other less reprehensible actors on both sides that do not what to see peace. Stopping negotiations or cutting off contact every time something goes wrong is not the answer

[Gimel]

3. The terrorists

are renegades (so they claim). Hamas refuses to give up arms. It is not an end to peace negotiations, but every attack is timed to disrupt progress. It's like pitching a tent in a gale wind.