China's Intriguing Palestine Proposal

I personally welcome this move, regardless of how we measure its chances of success at the moment. Chinese diplomacy is the exact opposite of Israeli state behavior – it is discreet, unaggressive, and, well, that’s about all we know about Chinese diplomacy in the Middle East for now. Yet I would rather have the Chinese and Russians involved in seeking some kind of breakthrough in peacemaking than merely sitting on the side and leaving the arena to the hapless Americans, who have proven during the past 45 years that they enjoy neither the political impartiality nor the law-based constructive rigor needed to be a successful mediator in this conflict. When these three major powers all nibble at the issue from their respective angles, the chances increase that either common ground will emerge that will lead to something constructive, or that they will find common cause to push for Arab-Israeli agreements as part of a larger package of diplomatic action that could include issues related to Syria and Iran.