Someone might tell Miguel Angel Moratinos, the foreign minister of Spain, that his country's empire collapsed many years ago. And that the King of Spain, who also carries the title "King of Jerusalem," is just king of Spain, although he is not exactly accepted by the Catalonians as their monarch. Everybody is getting into the Israel-Palestinian act. So now it's the Spaniards. In Haaretz this morning, there's an article reporting that Moratinos says "that his own country has an interest in events in the Middle East, not least because they have a direct impact on Spain and its citizens."

"We have police and civil guard [in Lebanon], two Spanish citizens were kidnapped in Gaza because there is a big disaster," he said. "It's affecting my economy and security in terms of the whole situation. I have interests that are affecting my country, and so, what do I have to do, just wait and see?"

This is a fit from an Almodóvar film. It is not an argument or a justification for Spain, which can't influence a single Arab state, to make demarches to Israel. His ultimate justification for meddling, without invitation by either Israel or Palestinians, is that, "Peace between Israel and the Palestinians means to a large extent peace on the international scene." Moratinos is a delusionary type. Even if some arrangement could be made between the Israelis and whoever will represent the Palestinians it would have zero effect on other places of strife. Not Iraq, not Lebanon, not Afghanistan, not anywhere. This, of course, is the latest wisdom. It makes some people think that they are being held hostage by Israel. What is holding them hostage is their lack of both realism and imagination.