SHALOM

President Barack Obama has appointed former Senator George Mitchell as his special Middle East envoy. Mitchell, who brokered a peace in Northern Ireland and led the investigation into steroid use by Major League Baseball players, has been given the task to jump-start the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and see them through to fruition.

Speaking of his new role during a welcome for Secretary Hillary Clinton at the State Department, Mitchell said he believed there was "no such thing as a conflict that can't be ended." Obama told the same gathering that Israel must re-open the border crossings into the Gaza Strip "to allow the flow of aid and commerce." His call for the border crossings to be opened for the flow of "commerce" indicates a definite shift toward the Palestinians, something I predicted would happen if Obama won the presidency.

A good friend has just sent me a joke which is not only very funny, but which also speaks to Mitchell's appointment. Here is that joke:

While on assignment in Jerusalem, a CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.

'Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?'

'Morris Fishbein,' he replied.

'Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?'

'For about 60 years.'

'60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?'

'I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop. I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults, and to love their fellow man.'

'How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?'

'Like I'm talking to a fucking wall.'

Shalom