From where it's coming from, this news is quite fascinating. Evidently, the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos is suggesting Israel should be offered what he calls "virtual membership" in the European Union. According to this report, Moratinos told a Jewish audience:

If Turkey is going to receive the green light to start negotiations for full integration into the EU, Israel should obtain the same benefits, with the single difference that we respect that Israel will not become a full member of the Union Read about it here.

You see, not only is Moratinos the Spanish Foreign Minister -- as Javier Solana once was, but Moratinos was the prior EU envoy to the Middle East. In other words, Moratinos worked for Solana. This being the case, I suspect this suggestion is really coming from Solana.

Another reason I suspect this idea is Solana's is because of the reference Moratinos made to Turkey. You see, Turkey being offered membership in the EU is also a Solana idea. Why? Because, Turkey is currently one of America's strongest allies in the region. And, Turkey's military has close ties to the Pentagon. If you recall Solana's Middle East mandate, one of his jobs is to reduce American's presence in the Middle East and increase the EU's.

So, to get Israel to sign on to Solana's new Neighborhood Policy, the EU heads should offer Israel "virtual" membership. This brings up a few important questions. Wouldn't this also make the agreement virtual? And, how about the benefits? Wouldn't they be virtual too?

Like ... say ... peace and safety?