So, how it going in the Middle East . . . A summary report by Midknight Review.

Isreal is on the left, of course. The two "white" areas are Gaza (the Gaza Strip), controlled by Hamas, and the larger West Bank. Click on the image to enlarge. More than 1,600 missiles were fired into Israel from Gaza, in 2009. More than a half million Jews live in the Palestinian territory called the West Bank. They are there because Israel won "the six day war" back in 1967 and took this land as a result. It is a Palestinian territory rightfully occupied by Israel.

Editor's notes: here are a few headlines in the today's news that give us an insight relating to the state of "peace" in the Middle East. We start with a headline that is more than two weeks old.

Iran to fire up its first nuclear power plant | Reuters Aug 20, 2010 ... TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's first nuclear power station will be loaded with fuel on Saturday, a showcase for Tehran's claim that its atomic

This is the first full weekend of Obama's 10 vacation in the Hamptons. . . . Obama celebrating a little R & R on the very weekend the dream of peace in the Middle East went to hell. This is the single most important event in Middle East recent history and Obama decides to go play with the wife and kids. . . . . his sixth vacation since becoming the Chief Whatever.

Hamas leader rejects compromise with Israel, resists peace... A headline for today, September 2. Hamas is the terrorist organization in control of the Gaza. Two days ago, Hamas gunmen killed a Jewish family of four sitting in their car in an effort to stall the peace talks taking place in Washington as we write this post. Nothing new, here . . . . . . . . . except for one thing. Obama has allocated first $900 billion to Hamas and, again, $400 billion to Hamas, in a compromising effort to give aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. His idealism is exceeded only by his wasteful spending habits. In the end, all this "kindness" offered to Hamas has proven nothing that we (on the Right) did not already know. The terrorists are evil. Their war of terror goes on. And Obama has accomplished nothing with his policy of appeasement.

Settlers end freeze, resume construction... While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington to launch direct peace talks with the Palestinians, tensions are mounting in the West Bank, following Tuesday's deadly shooting attack that killed four Israelis >>>>

This story stands on its own. Its significance to the peace talks taking place in Washington? The Palestinians have sworn not to agree on a treatise as long as Jewish construction continues in the West Bank. This new development (construction start-ups in the West Bank) flies in the face of the talks and sends a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu -- no peace with compromise. Understand that the murder of the family of four took place in the West Bank.

Understand that while Obama was going to Cairo and giving speeches that named Israel as an "occupier" in the West Bank, while he was busy humiliating Netanyahu last March/April (walking out of their meeting for dinner with the family and refusing to take pictures with the Prime Minister), while he moved to send billions to Hamas in Gaza, he refused to travel to Israel and visit with Israeli leaders on their own turf.

The obvious question is this: what in the world is Netanyahu doing in this meeting? He has been treated horribly by Obama. What has happened behind closed doors? Has Obama used his thuggery tactics in this case? He must know that this peace conference is his last chance before the midterm elections, to accomplish anything that is truly note-worthy and in line with the wishes of the American people -- since he and his party has given up on "jobs creation."

So, we watch and wait and ask: will this be, yet, another failure for the hapless leader of the free world ?