NEW YORK CITY — How many times must this story be retold? It is common knowledge in the United States, in Europe, in the Arab World, indeed in the entire world. The international press has been reporting on it since the late 1960s. The historical details of the story are also well known.

Syrians continue to be victimized, not only in violent clashes with the Syrian military, but also by regional and international players with various agendas.

Last week a well informed Israeli journalist revealed that his country is ready to eliminate Iran's nuclear facilities with an air strike. Israel's current political leadership proclaims it is "close" to decisive action.  Arguments for intervention in Iran split Israeli society evenly into two camps. One side argues for a swift military assault, and the other advocates successive tightening of U.S.-led international sanctions.

In recent days, we've witnessed the rare spectacle of Israelis and Palestinians celebrating at the same time. Ironically, this was the result of negotiations between the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas, which Israel and the United States describe as "terrorists" It was a moment that revealed what it would take for negotiations between seemingly irreconcilable foes to result in a credible agreement and why the current "peace process" has gone nowhere.

The U.N. Security Council's mandate, which authorized NATO's military operations to "protect civilians" in Libya, was just as specious as the one that allowed the Bush administration to invade Iraq to destroy stockpiles of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. Just as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were focused on securing Iraq's oil for their Big Oil cronies, U.S. and NATO forces attacked Libya to take out Muammar Gaddafi, who preferred to sell his oil to Russia and China.

As the Palestinians made their long-awaited request for United Nations membership, Washington called for a new round of Mideast negotiations. The Palestinian bid was a move of desperation. The Obama administration and Israel saw Palestine membership as an unsettling, game-changing event.  But to most of the international community, entry of Palestine to the U.N. would not hurt Israel or necessarily interfere with the peace process.