Palestinians Reject 'Sell-Out' Deal

BEIRUT - The latest tri-lateral Middle East peace talks have been overshadowed by the United Nations report by Richard Goldstone that accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes in Gaza and the candid remarks by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to the effect that there is no "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region should learn to "live" with the consequences.

But even before Lieberman's remarks, it was patently obvious that the latest peace drive, like numerous ones before it, was doomed to fail, not least because it made no determined effort to seek a solution to the plight of Palestinian refugees. Putting together arrangements that go some way towards meeting the Palestinian demand for a "right of return" is absolutely essential to unraveling the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Without it, any peace