The launch of the “Geneva Agreement” between the Israeli hard left and Palestinian liars is now officially a complete farce: Key Palestinian Negotiators to Skip Summit.

At the last minute, the four negotiators — all members of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement — said they were skipping Monday’s ceremony in Geneva after Arafat refused to give written approval for the agreement.

Their absence threatened to weaken the impact of the “Geneva Accord,” which has no official standing but signaled to Israelis and Palestinians that a peace deal is still possible. The withdrawal of the Palestinians sent a message to Israelis that there may not be a reliable peace partner on the Palestinian side.

No reliable peace partner? Ya think?

Maybe the likelihood of being tortured, shot, and strung up in a public square for a mob to desecrate had something to do with their withdrawal.

The negotiators who backed out of the ceremony are: Cabinet ministers Qadoura Fares and Hisham Abdel Razek and lawmakers Mohammed Horani and Khatem Abdel Khader. On Saturday, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a militant group with ties to Fatah, issued a leaflet branding the four as “collaborators.”

UPDATE: No … wait … this just in … the liars will be attending after all! Whew. This will be a huge load off Richard Dreyfuss’s mind: Palestinian Negotiators Agree to Summit.

Two Palestinian Cabinet ministers and two legislators at first said Sunday they would withdraw from the ceremony that is to take place in Geneva on Monday, but changed their minds by the end of the day.

The change of heart came after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat backed the group’s participation, overriding criticism from hardliners in the ruling Fatah group.

“We said that we are not going without the clear authorization,” said Palestinian Cabinet minister Qadoura Fares. “Now we have received a clear authorization from the head of the Palestinian Authority.”