"too early to add up the points"

"Once more he gave a speech. And again, the natives listened closely, pulled out their calculators and carefully marked the points the president awarded to each side. A state within the 1967 borders - a point for the Palestinians; chastising Hamas - a point for Israel; belittling the demand for recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations - three points for Israel; support for the Palestinians' political and civil rights - 1.5 points for the Palestinians.

But it's too early to add up the points. We're still only in the quarterfinals. We have to wait for the arm-wrestling contest between Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama, and for Obama's speech at AIPAC, to see who goes to the final in September. Then the really important game begins, and it won't only be between Israel and the Palestinians. The United States and Israel will be on one side, with the Palestinians and the rest of the world on the other."

Zvi Bar'el im Kommentar "The hitchhiker'sguide to the Mideast", Haaretz (22. Mai)