IT FLOPPED LIKE A FAILED SOUFFLE

Israel's diplomats say that the phony peace conference in Paris is the failure it truly is:

The Paris peace summit, despite concern that it could end with another damaging anti-Israel resolution, turned out “flat as a failed souffle,” Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emanuel Nahshon said.

The conclusion of Sunday’s Mideast peace conference in Paris urged Israelis and Palestinians to “officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution.” It also warned both sides against taking one-sided actions that could hurt talks, an apparent reference to Israeli settlement building in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

Despite concern in Israel that the conference could end with another damaging resolution against the Jewish state, nothing of the sort occurred. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State John Kerry – who had defended the Obama administration’s abstention from UN Security Council Resolution 2334, condemning Israeli settlements and had led the failed Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would oppose any further resolutions based on conclusions at the summit.

Oh, like we should take anything Kerry says at face value. Most certainly not. Besides, even if this is the last of this atrocity for now, it's not like Kerry and Obama aren't likely to cause more trouble after they leave office.

That said, it's apparent that the opposition to the conference had some effect, including the US Congress' own condemnation and bills to cut funding to the UN.

Nonetheless, the summit, with the participation of over 70 countries, ended with a message to Israel as well as to the incoming US administration that the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to international opinion, is a two-state solution.

“The two-state solution is still the objective of the international community for the future,” French President Francois Hollande said. “With this conference I wanted to inscribe the two-state solution on the international agenda.”

Such big talk from somebody who already alienated much of the public with his disastrous security steps. It's worth noting that a few countries didn't even officially attend, and:

The final declaration also included criticism of incitement and “terror,” an apparent reference to Palestinian attacks. And some of the pro-Palestinian language in an earlier draft was removed after diplomats huddled in Paris.

The incoming US administration did not take part in the meeting, nor did it immediately comment on its final statement. President-elect Donald Trump had expressed disagreement with the conference.

Apparently in deference to the Trump team, the UK delegation did not include any senior-level officials.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon dismissed Sunday’s conference, tweeting that it was “flat as a failed soufflé.”

“A big show is no replacement for direct negotiations between the parties,” he said.

For once, Britain did something positive, and I think Russia also abstained from attendance. Thankfully, the backlash did have some effect, though there's still a long way to go, even now that Trump's been elected.

EVEN IF IT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL, PARIS PSEUDO-PEACE CONFERENCE WAS STILL OFFENSIVE

The "peace" conference held in Paris may have ended earlier than expected, but it was still very awful, and did as much a disfavor to Europeans as it did to Israelis and Americans:

Instead of convening a summit on the ongoing civil war in Syria, or the migrant crisis threatening Europe, or the rampant anti-Semitism plaguing its own country, France on Sunday held a convention attended by over 70 nations to affirm the international community’s commitment to creating a Palestinian state.

At the end of the farcical display, and with neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority in attendance, the Paris summit representatives released a brief concluding declaration unanimously agreed to after negotiations between the countries.

Reports here credited Israeli diplomats with helping to water down the anti-Israel language of the final declaration, calling the text a “significant weakening” and “less harsh than was initially expected.”

Nevertheless, it was still one of the worst acts of hostility a dhimmi government/politician could pull on anybody. But it's fortunate that both Israel's efforts and those of the US Congress helped persuade all involved to let it go sooner than expected, for now. Francois Hollande is still a very bad lot, even though he's leaving his post of president.