I think I’m tapped out of writing energy today.

I have even tagged this post miscellaneous so you can write what you want.

Of course, you’ll have to do it in the comments, unless you have the rights to edit this post, in which case, feel free to update it.

They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard!

If you’re a Tolkien geek, it’s funny.

If you’re not a Tolkien geek, well, don’t click on the link. And if you do, don’t whine to me afterwards that it isn’t funny.

The palestinians are demanding something for nothing again. SOP.

Associates of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have asked Israel to release 80 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture ahead of Abbas’ meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert next week.

Palestinian sources told Ynet that in the framework of negotiations between the two sides prior to the meeting, the Palestinians demanded that 80 prisoners who are in poor health be freed.

According to the sources, such a move could help establish trust between Israel and the Palestinians, given the humanitarian aspect of the matter. If Israel consents, this may also help increase public support for Abbas and the peace process among the Palestinian public.

Palestinian prisoners confirmed the report, and said that PA officials ensured them they would attempt to promote the issue. The prisoners stated that one of the senior officials involved in the talks noted that “the Israelis have agreed to favorably weigh the issue.”

However, the prisoner release will apparently have no bearing on the subject of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and an exchange deal including Shalit may face further delays in light of the recent crisis in the PA.

The part that is truly galling: “such a move could help establish trust between Israel and the Palestinians.”

It isn’t the Israelis who need to establish trust. They’re not the ones firing rockets into palestinian territory every day.

Don’t do the deal. Something for something, or forget it.

A study conducted by the Geneva Initiative, the people that brought us the Geneva Accord (yes, the ones that failed miserably and were conducted without official Israeli government participation) claim that 46% of the Jewish population of Israel wants the government to negotiate with the unity government currently being established.

I don’t buy it. I want to see the questions asked and the study data. I especially want to see the questions, because that is the most important part of any poll. It’s extremely easy to bias a poll to get a desired result.

Forty-six percent of the Jewish population in Israel supports renewing negotiations with a Palestinian unity government if and when it is established, reveals a study conducted on behalf of the Geneva Initiative.

The survey found that 37.4 percent object to such negotiations and 16.1 percent of the people asked replied that they did not know.

I haven’t found that poll yet, but I found another poll on the Geneva Initiative website from the end of January that claims that 70.2% of Israelis want to begin final status negotiations. Here isthe relevant question:

Among the following options, which would you prefer?
To begin negotiations on a final status agreement 70.2%
To begin negotiations on an interim agreement which will include a long-term ceasefire 19.7%
Neither option 7.5%
Undecided 2.6%

Notice how one of the choices is not “To negotiate a peace agreement in stages, moving forward based upon completion of those stages,” which is exactly what the Road Map proposed. This is an invalid question. It is a choice between a cease-fire and a peace treaty. It doesn’t prove that Israelis want to jump to final status negotiations. It proves that given the choice between a cease-fire and a chance to end hostilities permanently, Israelis want to end hostilities permanently. And may I say: Duh.

Mind you, this is to be expected from the architects of the Geneva Accord, who, once again, conducted negotiations without government backing, permission, or advice. They have been dishonest negotiators from the get-go. I am not surprised that their polls are biased.

On the other hand, this question is very telling. When the poll asked Israelis what they think will happen in the event an agreement is reached, half of them said it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on:

Do you or do you not believe that it is possible to reach a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians and to end the conflict?
Believe it is possible 46.6%
Believe it is impossible 49.9%
Undecided 3.5%

There is also a poll question regarding Hamas that is germaine to the new poll:

Do you support or oppose Israeli negotiations with the Hamas Government?
Support 29.4%
Oppose 62.6%
Undecided 8.0%

Nearly two-thirds of Israelis want nothing to do with Hamas. That’s why I want to see the poll questions. I don’t trust the poll. I want to see the choice in the “unity government” question. Judging by the above questions, the new poll is going to be just as slanted as the one from January.

And this, dear readers, is why my tagline is: Cutting straight to the point. The point of this poll is bullshit. And so is this:

“Our studies, performed on a regular basis, show us that the majority of Israelis demand that the government return to the negotiation table. They accept the outline of the Geneva Accord as a basis for the permanent solution. The prime minister (Ehud Olmert) has to answer the challenge and start the dialogue without delay,” Baltiansky said.

Uh-huh. Show me the questions, Baltiansky. Show me the questions.