Although the rate of stabbings and shooting had dropped in recent weeks, Wednesday's killing of four Israelis and the wounding of 13 others in an attack by two Palestinians at an open-air complex in Tel Aviv was one of the deadliest since October last year. Israel suspended entry permits for 83,000 Palestinians after the incident but the real response should be at the negotiating table. The recent Paris gathering of officials from the Middle East Quartet, the UN, Arab League and more than 20 states aimed at reviving the stalled peace process could have been a positive start. Major powers are aiming to work out a number of security guarantees and economic incentives to encourage Israel and the Palestinians to resurrect the peace talks by the end of 2016. But Israel was opposed to the French effort, saying that only direct talks with the Palestinians can end the half-century impasse and military occupation and that international conferences will solve nothing, but will encourage Palestinian stubbornness. Even before the start of the conference, the head of Israel's Foreign Ministry said that France's bid to revive the peace talks was doomed to failure. Indeed, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls heard Netanyahu's rejection of the French initiative first hand before leaving Israel. Israel fears that the international community will press it to end the 49-year occupation of the West Bank, the embargo of Gaza, and the ongoing construction of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a future state. As for direct talks, Israel also failed to mention that the nine-month one-on-one talks between the Palestinians and Israelis were scuttled two years ago mainly because of the unchecked growth of Jewish settlements. Benjamin Netanyahu is just stalling for time. He is not a serious partner and showed his true colors last year on the eve of his historic election to a fourth term as prime minister when he vowed that there would never be a Palestinian state on his watch. More recently, Netanyahu appointed hardliner Avigdor Lieberman as defense minister to an already right-wing government. Netanyahu has proved he is not interested in a solution. He wants a lasting peace process, not a lasting peace. The Paris conference also focused on the 2002 Saudi peace initiative which offered Arab recognition of Israel in return for the creation of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel since 1967. Netanyahu suggests that Arab states recognize Israel first but the stipulation is the other way around. The French may try to set deadlines for future talks. If their efforts fail, French diplomats have warned that they may unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. If they do, France would be the first major European country to do so. But there are limits to what France can achieve. Its chances of bringing Netanyahu on board are very slim. And the French, on their own, will never be able to get the Palestinian-Israeli ball rolling. The Americans are needed for that. But the US is preoccupied with the election season and who will come after Obama. Obama and Kerry and past US administrations have failed to strike a deal for two states for two peoples. Thus the need to internationalize the conflict. Still, it was anticipated early on that Israel would snub the French initiative. Palestinian frustration with the deadlock in negotiations has driven a wave of violence which has left 206 Palestinians and 28 Israelis dead since October, the latest being the attack in Tel Aviv. Support for the Paris initiative is inspired by a wish to re-establish the Palestinian issue on the agenda of international diplomacy. The Palestinians have been all but forgotten in leading world capitals. For the world now, the Middle East is all about Daesh (the self
