A Moment of Hope in the Middle East by Washington Post / ABC News / The Guardian 4:40pm 9th Feb, 2005   February 9, 2005    "Middle East Truce". (The Washington Post: Editorial)    Israelis and Palestinians witnessed yesterday the most inspiring and hopeful moment in more than four years of bloody conflict. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Mahmoud Abbas sat together at a conference table and declared an end to all military activity and acts of violence -- the strongest commitment the two sides have made to each other since the collapse of the Camp David peace talks and the eruption of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000. Since then some 3,300 Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis have died, including hundreds of Israeli civilians slaughtered in pizza parlors, coffee shops and buses by suicide bombers, and scores of Palestinian children killed by Israeli army fire or airstrikes. The shooting probably won't stop entirely, at least not right away, and the prospects for a broader political settlement remain cloudy. Still, the public commitment of the new Palestinian leadership to ending violence, and Israel's corresponding promise of a cease-fire, is cause for celebration - and the essential predicate for a new peace process.    The summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik was the culmination of a remarkably rapid movement by Palestinians and Israelis toward accord since Yasser Arafat's death in November. Defying predictions of chaos or even civil war, Palestinian elites and much of the public have lined up behind Mr. Abbas, who in turn has so far skillfully countered challenges from Islamic militants. Mr. Sharon, who did little to help an attempt by Mr. Abbas to end the conflict in 2003, when Mr. Arafat was still alive, has been more accommodating this time: In addition to promising that "Israel will cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere," Mr. Sharon has pledged to withdraw Israeli troops from five West Bank towns in the next three weeks and release some 900 Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli prime minister, meanwhile, is pressing his initiative to remove all Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip and one part of the West Bank by later this year; if the cease-fire holds, that withdrawal could be a major victory for moderates on both sides.    The Bush administration and its Arab and European allies have hit on a rare combination of cooperation and effectiveness in recent weeks. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not attend yesterday's conference, which allowed for the heartening spectacle of Israeli and Palestinian leaders working together under the sponsorship of Arab neighbors Egypt and Jordan. But Ms. Rice made clear a U.S. commitment to the emerging detente through her visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah earlier in the week, her appointment of an American general to help broker and monitor Israeli-Palestinian security arrangements, and the invitations to Mr. Abbas and Mr. Sharon for White House meetings in the near future. Meanwhile, the United States will gather with European allies in London for an international conference on helping the Palestinians build a new economic infrastructure, security apparatus and democratic institutions.    It is easy, maybe even prudent, to be pessimistic about the chances for a deeper Palestinian-Israeli accord. Both Mr. Abbas and Mr. Sharon face daunting and possibly violent battles with extremists in the coming months; both cling to deal-breaking goals, including Mr. Sharon's agenda for Israeli control over large parts of the West Bank and Mr. Abbas's insistence on a "return" by Palestinian refugees to Israel. Yet the possibility now exists of concrete and genuine change for the better: the elimination of checkpoints and roadblocks; the removal of Israeli settlements and transfer of all of Gaza to a reformed Palestinian administration; the return of prisoners to their families; and best of all, a diminishing of the tragic losses and pervasive fear that have haunted both Israelis and Palestinians for more than four years. A cease-fire is only a cease-fire, but for Israelis and Palestinians, it could also be, as Mr. Abbas yesterday put it, "the start of a new era."    February 9, 2005.    "Leaders hopeful of Middle East peace", by Matt Brown. (ABC News)    Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have left their landmark summit in Egypt vowing to pursue peace. However, militant group Hamas has warned that it is not bound by the cease-fire declaration. Mr Abbas says the current period of calm in Israel and the Palestinian Territories signals the start of a new era. Mr Sharon says it represents a "fragile opportunity" but warns there are still "extremists" who want to stymie the peace process.    Both men pledged to end the violence that has marred the past four years and try to revive the stalled 'road map' to peace with the help of the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union.    Mr Sharon has said the Palestinians have agreed to end anti-Israeli actions and that in parallel, Israel will cease its military operations against the Palestinians in all areas. Mr Abbas says the calm in the territories signals the start of a hopeful peace.    "It is high time that the Palestinian people restored their freedom and independence," Mr Abbas said.    "It's high time that long decades of suffering and pain would stop. "It is high time that our people enjoy peace."    Analysts say the announcements in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have set the stage for a full-scale revival of the Middle East peace process. But those hopes will be tempered by Hamas's declaration shortly after the summit that Mr Abbas's cease-fire declaration only expresses the position of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has carried out the majority of anti-Israeli attacks in the past four years of unrest. Hamas's smaller rival, Islamic Jihad, has said it will wait until Mr Abbas returns to the Palestinian Territories before delivering a verdict on the announcement. Hamas and other Palestinian factions so far have agreed to observe a period of calm.    February 9, 2005 (The Guardian)    Smiles and handshakes in sunny Sharm al-Sheikh have generated rare optimism about a way out of the bloody impasse in which Israelis and Palestinians have been trapped for far too long. Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas bonded publicly for the cameras during their summit at the Red Sea resort yesterday, agreeing a truce that should put a stop to a bodycount of 1,042 Israelis and 3,579 Palestinians during the four years of the second intifada. Experience teaches that it is best to be cautious about breakthroughs in the Middle East because so very many things can go wrong. With so much accumulated hatred, such difficult and fundamental issues to be resolved, and both leaders facing such strong domestic opposition, breezy confidence would be misleading and irresponsible.    It is true, though, that several factors have converged to create an unusual sense of opportunity, however fragile, for the first time since September 2000: Yasser Arafat's death and replacement, in a democratic election, by Mr Abbas; George Bush's promise, encouraged by Tony Blair, to "spend political capital" on the Israeli-Palestinian issue in his second term; Mr Sharon's determination to pull out of the Gaza Strip, creating the precedent of removing the illegal settlements he spent so long promoting, and perhaps beginning a process he cannot control.    It is also true that none of the familiar big question marks has gone away. Can Mr Abbas convince hardline groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad to lay down their arms for good? Will Mr Bush, having spoken of the "realities" of the West Bank, pressure the Israeli leader to dismantle the big urban outposts in the areas Mr Sharon calls Judea and Samaria? Is the old general likely to emulate Charles de Gaulle in Algeria to play the strong man of the right who will make a historic "peace of the brave" and recognise the limits of military superiority?    Smaller-scale problems have to be resolved quickly. Israel's focus is on security and reforms to the Palestinian authority, but the Palestinians want parallel action to freeze all settlement activity, as well as work on the controversial West Bank security barrier. The Israelis are in a hurry whereas Mr Abbas, who faces a series of elections in which his Fatah faction's strength will be tested, needs time. Haggling over releases of Palestinian prisoners and the removal of humiliating Israeli checkpoints between West Bank towns can all too easily turn sour.    Palestinians want negotiations on a final peace settlement while the Israelis would like to have years of quiet before moving to the tough issues of final borders, Jerusalem and refugees, all vital to determine whether a viable Palestinian state will be on offer. On these there is no sign, beyond the good atmospherics, that the gap between the sides has narrowed.    Optimists point to US involvement, though the absence yesterday of Condoleezza Rice, the new secretary of state, gave an impression of standing on the sidelines, not on the playing field. It is useful to have a US general to coordinate security matters. But there will have to be a political perspective because Hamas suicide bombings and Israeli assassinations will resume if there is none. Europe, trusted by the Palestinians, must press for a role, and for a speedy return, subsuming the Gaza pullout, to the internationally agreed road map. Egypt and Jordan will have their part to play.    If warm words could solve problems, then it would all be over bar the celebrations. Mr Abbas spoke of the beginning of a "new era"; Mr Sharon - more remarkably - of his commitment to Palestinian "dignity and independence". But his comment about ending "unrealistic dreams" must apply to both sides if a workable, two-state peace settlement is ever to be agreed. Hard choices lie ahead if a day of hope in the sun is not to end, like too many before it, in bitter tears.
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