The first session of dialogue in two years between the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority concluded yesterday with a small triumph: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to a series of direct talks beginning in Egypt in two weeks' time. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed optimism that these talks would lead to a peace deal within a year. But even with the auspicious start, is there any hope that one of the world's fiercest conflicts can be solved in just twelve months? (Watch an AP report about the peace talks)
Against all the odds, a good start: Despite the "broad cynicism oozing out" of both the U.S. and Israel, says Daniel Stone in Newsweek, there's good reason to be optimistic. On the evidence of today, Abbas and Netanyahu are building a rapport that "lubricates the possibility for meaningful concessions." Granted, it would be "shocking, almost unbelievable," if lasting peace is achieved within a year. But this was far from a terrible start.
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