The problem is that people on both sides do want peace. But they are overwhelmed by those who don't.

I'm quite sure there are a lot of people in the region who do want peace. But as you say, they aren't in power and don't seem to have a path to get into power. Of all the countries in the region, the one closest to having people in power who do want peace is probably the Saudis. The whole point of selling our arms to the Saudis was for them to help keep peace in the region. They aren't accomplishing that job. And then there's 9/11. So stop selling arms to them as well as everyone else in the region.

War with sticks and stones seems to me to be preferable to war with artillery and rockets and missiles. So let's stop sending artillery shells and rockets and missiles into the area.

That will take someone with balls to stand up to the military contractors who make tons of money off these arms sales. Fortunately, we may have the person for the job. And it ain't the old guy.

I don't see Hamas signing a pact and returning any surviving hostages.

I hate to say it, but I'm not sure there is any path left to an exchange of the hostages for anything at this point. The only way they're coming back is if Israel puts a sufficiently large army at risk into Gaza to clear it from north to south and find them. That's going to cost some significant Israeli war casualties. I don't think Netanyahu is willing to do that. Much easier to keep killing from afar.

--Peter