It is difficult to know what to be more astounded about: King Abdallah or Jordan’s revelation that President Obama is about to unveil a massive peace plan that encompasses a deal not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians but with the Syrians and the Lebanese as well - or his warning that if it does not happen, President Obama’s credibility will instantly evaporate and there will be a new Arab-Israeli war in 12 to 18 month’s time. The revelation is a much-needed blast of fresh air. There have been worries that the Obama administration was at heart fundamentally pro-Israeli and would not, in the final analysis, put the necessary pressure on the Israelis to deliver a settlement. The scale of what King Abdallah has revealed says the opposite. It is clear that the US fully understands what is needed. Particularly welcome is the recognition that peace is indivisible, that the Israelis cannot have a deal with the Palestinians, or just with Fatah, without involving Syria and Lebanon. Such a deal would not stick. Rockets would still be fired; suicide bombers would still be dispatched. The revelations are not going to go down well in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fundamentally opposed to a two-state solution; his Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman says that Israeli-Palestinian peace is at a “dead end” (although the only reason is because the Israelis have consistently refused to accept the two-state solution); and Interior Minister Eli Yishai reaffirms Israel’s commitment to settlements, calling the current government one of settlers and settlements. Peace and the theft of land cannot coexist. Yishai’s effective suggestion there will be more of them says everything about Israel’s commitment to peace.
The impendence of the Obama initiative explains Netanyahu’s “offer” a few days ago to resume talks with Palestinians without precondition. He hopes to muddy the waters ahead of his meeting next week with President Obama. But this time there is hope that he will be told in clear, unambiguous terms to make the necessary concessions. The tone in Washington has changed: Last week, Vice President Joe Biden told Israeli lobbyists that they were “not going to like” what he had to tell them and an American official talked openly for the first time at the UN about Israel’s nuclear arsenal. There has never been anything like it before. It looks as if the days of the Israel tail wagging the US dog are at an end. But if the scale of Washington’s ambitions is remarkable, it is the warning of an Arab-Israeli war next year that truly jolts. It is unthinkable that King Abdallah would have spoken about the initiative without Washington’s approval. It is part of the pressure on Israel. But the warning about war, if there is no breakthrough, is something else. It is in effect an ultimatum not just to the Israelis, but also to the Americans, to deliver. The Americans must. King Abdallah is absolutely right: If they do not, Obama’s credibility will be blown apart - but not just his. This is the US’ last chance to restore its image in Arab and Muslim eyes. If it succeeds, the rewards could be glittering. The legacy of failure would be bitter and disastrous for years to come.
Keeping our elevators safe
What is it about stepping into an elevator that makes us start to hyperventilate? Some say it’s acrophobia (fear of heights); others blame claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces). We don’t know the scientific term for fear that the elevator hasn’t been inspected for eight years, but after reading Tribune reporter Azam Ahmed’s work last week, we think we’ll just take the stairs.
Ahmed reported that nearly 70 percent of Chicago’s 20,000 elevators didn’t get their “annual” inspection last year, as required by law. The records don’t reflect follow-up inspections on those that failed. Some elevators haven’t been inspected since 2001, according to city records.
Recalling a recent inspector general’s report that detailed what Chicago’s overstaffed sanitation crews were doing when they were supposed to be picking up the garbage, we suspected this was more of the same. It’s not.
The city has just 10 elevator inspectors, or one for every 2,000 elevators; the industry standard is one inspector per 550 elevators. “With that number of guys, it’s physically impossible to do annual inspections on all the elevators, no matter how hard they work,” says Dick Gregory, an elevator consultant with Vertex Corp. in Roselle.
And with the city cutting costs and requiring workers to take unpaid furlough days, it’s not going to get better.
Fortunately, Ahmed’s reporting Mayor Richard Daley announced that Chicago will step up a pilot program under which building owners hire certified private firms to do the annual inspections, with city oversight. The city’s own inspectors will check elevators once every three years. Despite the backlog, city officials say there’s no need to panic. When was the last time you heard about a big elevator accident? That’s likely because building owners are motivated to make sure their elevators run smoothly and safely. And citizens’ 311 calls to report scary elevator rides always prompt a city follow-up.
