[Griff]

Another rule of thumb: neutrality ain't favoritism. Israel does look more like "us." I want them to survive. I don't believe they have any more or less right to the sand than the Palestinians had before eviction. Unfortunately, the might makes right mentality in the mid-east includes unguided missiles against civilians as well as planes and artillery versus militants plus civilians. At some point Israel is going to have to cut a deal with the wider Arab world and the Palestinians will have to understand that they've lost and take whatever scraps they can get. Any wider role we play will not hasten that reality. A wider role by us only creates a false power structure.