KERRY IN WONDERLAND

By Sig Demling

You have to wonder whether John Kerry possesses even one aide who can translate Arabic into English. Just one; that's all he needs.

Were that the case you would think that an Arabic-to-English translation of the day's news would persuade America's Secretary of State to scrap his delusional attempt to re-start peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. 

Yet, apparently because he enjoys long plane rides, Kerry will jet back to Jerusalem next week for more chats to "advance" the -- you have to love this much abused expression -- peace process.

If ever two words were conspicuously as out of place as a piano in the Mediterranean Sea peace process are those words.

A brief look at events that already have taken place this week will underline my point.

Peace.

What peace? Arabs are fighting Arabs. Arabs are killing Arabs. Syria is beyond redemption. Hezbollah desperately is trying to rearm for another attack on Israel and Mahmoud Abbas continues to make Kerry look like a damn fool every time the Arab opens his mouth.

Ratcheting up his hostility toward Israel to an even higher level,  the Palestinian President delivered a speech the other day asserting that Palestinians would not accept any peace proposal other than that based on United Nations resolution 194. Were such a proposal accepted it automatically would doom Israel.

The Abbas diatribe comes directly after Kerry explicitly told Tzipi Livni that not only must there be direct Arab-Israeli negotiations but there must not be any pre-conditions to those talks.

No sooner had the words no preconditions been uttered, Abbas began listing his pre-conditions which include the fictional "right of return" that long ago has been dismissed out of hand by Israel. 

"Not only have the Arabs not rescinded their pre-conditions," writes Zalman Shoval in Israel Hayom, "but emphatically reiterated them." 

Has Kerry -- or, perhaps someone in his office who can read Arabic -- not been informed that Abbas, Inc. has listed these pre-conditions? Does any logical thinker that Israel would accede to the following?

* ACCEPT THE 1967 BORDERS: Such acceptance would reduce Israel's ability to counter a massive Arab attack to about minus-the-radical-50.

* CEASE ALL CONSTRUCTION; This presumes that the bizarre argument that finding apartments in which Jews can live peacefully is an obstruction to peace.

* RELEASE PALESTINIAN PRISONERS: The incarcerated Arabs are in prison for a reason; they either have or want to kill Israeli Jews. What idiot would allow such potential murderers to go free?

Shoval: "The Palestinians made sure in advance that negotiations based on the Israel and U.S. position that there can be no preconditions won't be possible."

Furthermore, Abbas continues to move in the direction of war. Once again he's attempting reconciliation with the terrorist Hamas leaders. And he has supported the assaults on IDF forces during Nakba Day. 

Nor were these hostile demonstrations isolated in any way, shape or form. They took place in Jerusalem, near Hebron and, once more, Palestinian militants fired rockets at southern Israel. 

Plus, every day in every way, Jew-hating is taught in every grade in every Arab school whether it be in the West Bank or Gaza. And these militant Islamics dare talk peace!

Too bad Kerry can't get his hands on some of the Arabic hate literature. About an hour's worth of translation surely would persuade him to cancel his trip to Israel next week.

That is, unless he's coming all the way from Washington because he enjoys jets.

If that's not the reason then the Pollyanna-ish Secretary of State is wasting his time -- and Benjamin Netanyahu's as well!