Mideast forecast: Steady violence with occasional resolve

There goes the neighborhood. Joining in the celebration of Israel's 70th birthday this spring, the American State Department will be there as it was at the creation of the Jewish state. However unwillingly.

Back then, the president was Harry S. Truman, and he too took the boldest of steps, recognizing the state of Israel within minutes after it was born. Or rather reborn, for even as empires have come and gone, the dream of re-establishing the ancient Jewish commonwealth there has persisted.

Now, as