Successive American administrations have declared peace in the Middle East is an American strategic interest, and one assumes that for an American strategic interest, Americans pay.

The peace process doesn't seem to be in such good shape anyway. It's teetering on the brink of collapse, even before today's decision. This will bring it one step closer to final collapse.

As one of his aides once said, he has antifreeze in his blood... He is a very cool character, and when you judge him by his public performances you would think that everything is hunky-dory and going great. But an analytical assessment of the situation shows he is in trouble, despite the brave face that he's putting on.

Americans like buying American vs. buying from Chavez or buying from the Middle East.

The situation is grave from an Israeli point of view, probably on the verge of an explosion. There's a consensus both in the security establishment and in public opinion, and among most ministers in the government, that Israel needs to escalate its response to Palestinian terror.

The issue of releasing Palestinian prisoners is very unpopular in Israel, and if he goes too far, he'll suffer more than by his failure to reach an agreement.