July 3, 2003

The New York Times reports that the Israeli military believes it has defeated Palestinian terror, forcing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table as they have realized terror will not force Israel to give concessions. Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, told Israeli reporters on Wednesday that the developments this week might eventually be seen "as the end" of the conflict. "It is certainly a victory" for Israel, he was quoted as saying. Palestinians agree that the violence has produced little gain: "When the intifada began, the demand was, `End the occupation, because the negotiations led to nothing,' " said Samir al-Mashharawi, a leader of the mainstream Palestinian faction, Fatah. "Now, Palestinian demands are to return back to the situation right before the intifada, and we are negotiating about this." 10:33:25 PM