Settlement expansion is not the only reason why a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis is almost impossible. The USA, which sponsored talks in the past, has other preoccupations. It is much more concerned with its rivalry with China and the war in Ukraine. The Palestinian political leadership is deeply divided between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank. They are not capable, as things stand, of making or delivering any sort of deal. The Palestinian Authority is barely capable of exercising its own limited powers. Israel is deep in its own internal political crisis about the nature of its own democracy. Peace between Palestinians and Israelis is as far away as ever. Neither side trusts the other. This year a serious upsurge in violence and death is a serious warning of even worse trouble ahead. Everyone here knows the risks they are running, but there is no realistic plan to head off the deadly trouble that lies ahead.