Will there be a war?

[bemildred]

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# What exactly prevented Olmert from responding to Bashar Assad's repeated declarations in recent months about his willingness to conduct negotiations immediately? For example, he could have sent the foreign minister to speak to her Syrian colleague. Instead, he sent messages. Is he the minister of communications or an Israeli leader?

# Why did Olmert refuse to conduct negotiations about a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the West Bank, in accordance with the proposal of the head of the Palestinian Authority? Because Hamas has preconditions? And we don't? Why is this institution of talks so neglected and abused if the possible alternatives are war in the North and the destruction, perhaps tomorrow morning, of an Israeli or Palestinian kindergarten?

# The intelligence assessments did not mention the chance of negotiations, the calculation of the benefit/damage involved in genuine talks with the other side's leadership in Ramallah and Damascus. It's hard to understand MI: If it has gone to the trouble in recent months to inform us of another war, wouldn't it be reasonable for it to recommend that we examine this terrible fear by responding to the proposals of the Syrians and the moderate Arab Quartet (and the Palestinians' plea) to talk?

# According to very recent reports, alongside the ministers' dire warnings about Syrian and Hezbollah missiles, the preparation of bomb shelters is creeping along at a slow pace, and the gas-mask situation is frightening. Is this another message to the Syrians that we're not preparing for war?

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/868470.html