I agree with almost everything you say.

Most importantly, despite everything that's happened since the Camp David meeting between Barak and Arafat, I think the two-state solution is the only possibility for peace.

My biggest complaing against Barak is that he came with the right offer but managed to make a hash of things by not understanding the personality of who he was dealing with.

Barak started off saying, essentially, here's the full and complete set of all concessions Israel is willing to make. Take it or leave it.

Arafat could not possibly take it. He came from a culture where haggling is a way of life. Where if someone offers you something that's good enough, you dismiss the offer and fight for something that's far more. And if the other side disagrees, you walk away to try and get them to make further concessions.

What Barak should have done was offer far less than the limit of what he could live with. Then, let Arafat struggle and haggle and argue, grudgingly giving piece by piece until he reaches the limit of what Israel could give away.

Then, Arafat would have been able to tell his people how he had fought and got the best of the Israelis, convincing them of how good a deal it was.

What a massive mistake on both sides!

As for the settlers, they and the Israeli governments who have allowed or even encouraged them to do what they do, are a major part of the problem.