US demands will thwart Mideast Peace

Frida Ghitis has got it right when a friend hits her with "a daunting request."

"One of these days,'' she said, "you'll have to explain to me this whole thing with Jerusalem.''

So how do you address it? Ms. Ghitis's solution:

Instead of arguing about what part of the past matters most, we should focus on the future most people say they want. A majority of Israelis and Palestinians say they want to see peace, with two states living side by side. That, in the most contentious sliver of the world, is a delicate point of agreement that must be carefully nurtured, particularly because it remains a matter of passionate disagreement for minorities on both sides.

Yet, the Obama administration appears to have "tangled up the possibility of peace in this most difficult of problems." While the announcement of the Israeli decision to build housing in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem was a misstep, Washington compounded the matter by raising "demands on Israel to a level never done even by Palestinians."

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