As the old saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. The accords emerged from lengthy, last–minute talks on a joint document indicating Israel and Palestine would commit to a 2008 peace treaty, and negotiate the "final status" of the conflict. "We agreed to immediately launch, in good faith, bilateral negotiations for a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including core issues, without exception," US President George W. Bush said, reading from the joint statement at the US-backed peace conference in Annapolis.
The document signals leaders from both sides to put an end to the decades-long Middle East violence; and take a practical step towards peace. Both sides arrived at this common ground after six decades of sanguinary conflict. At the Annapolis conference, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert both pledged to forge a peace treaty by the end of 2008 that would create a Palestinian state.
Admittedly, the Middle East peace process advances with some overwhelming, even insurmountable, obstacles: Jerusalem, borders, security and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Olmert confirmed his attitude by saying he would face up to those key demands from the Palestinian people, and try to settle the toughest issues through negotiation.
What is more, in order to avoid making empty promises, both parties laid down a time table for peace talks and decided on negotiation steps as proposed by Bush. Their representatives will first hold a session in Jerusalem, in December; and Abbas and Olmert will meet every other week in hopes of agreeing on a treaty and statehood by the end of 2008.
It may have been a good indication, when Abbas and Olmert reached out to each other, that the two sides are working their way to mutual trust and understanding. As Abbas put it, "wish and will and trust will take us to the destination of peace." To this, Olmert replied, "I agree that it is the pain and humiliation suffered by Palestinian refugees that breeds their strong hatred towards us. We will not ignore this fact."
Nevertheless, the path to peace is always full of ups and downs. The decisive factors in achieving lasting peace and stability lie in Israeli and Palestinian public opinion. For the time being, international estrangement and separation still afflict the Middle East. Olmert's public ratings are low, partly due to last year's Lebanese war; and Abbas lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in June. Giving ground on their main differences to clinch a deal could be risky at this moment. Bush, however, remained optimistic: "The time is right, the cause is just, and with hard work, I know they can succeed."
By People's Daily Online
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