Stars rush in where statesmen stumbled
Jerusalem, Oct. 26: Bill Clinton failed, Tony Blair drew a blank and Kofi Annan made little progress. But now a team of Hollywood stars is about to visit West Asia on a private peace mission, in the belief that their charms will work magic on the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Brad Pitt, his wife, Jennifer Aniston, and Danny DeVito are among the stars who aim to succeed where world statesmen have stumbled.
“The past few years of conflict mean that yet another generation of Israelis and Palestinians will grow up in hatred,†reads a statement from Pitt and Aniston. “We cannot allow that to happen.â€
Quite how they intend to stop it is not entirely clear. The logic behind their mission, planned to take place before the end of the year, is not especially sophisticated.
Pitt and Aniston believe that most people in the region want a negotiated settlement with an end to violence, and imagine that by appealing directly to “ordinary folkâ€, they can bring the warring parties together.
In a region suffering from peace initiative fatigue, however, Israelis and Palestinians have greeted news of the Hollywood initiative with bemusement and incredulity.
For some, the prospect of DeVito sitting down to talk peace with Hamas militants over a cup of sweet tea, or Pitt breaking bread at a sabbath dinner with hardline Jewish settlers, is preposterous.
Oz Almog, an Israeli sociologist, said: “Following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s election as governor in California, it seems we are now joining the Hollywood revolution.
“From time to time, some celebrities think that they might help, and the media amplifies their mission. But this is an incredibly complex situation and I am afraid they are naive.
Ya think?
I mean, really, it fisks itself. And there's more.
