In this story by the New York Times, the "leading Palestinian factions" have declared a three-month suspension of attacks against Israel. Then some hours later, "Israeli armored vehicles kicked up clouds of dust as they pulled out of the northern Gaza strip." The report's authors call these "the most significant advances since the Middle East peace plan was formally launched earlier this month."
Is it me? Or does this read as a wishful attempt to pump up a story to continue the great dramatic thread that journalists favor? History would suggest that any cease fire will fall apart in a matter of a few weeks. A Palestinian official has already laid the groundwork for blaming Israel for any possible problem: "We hope Israel will not spoil it for us this time." Condoleezza Rice just spent two days going back and forth between the two sides, adding pressure. But she will not be there for long, and then the immediate arm twisting will be over. The Palestinian Authority is unwilling to use force to control the various factions. The Israelis are unwilling to be sitting ducks.
It would be good to see something positive, but that seems unlikely - the necessary conditions don't seem to be in place. That would require people on both sides who find peace more important than any other possibility. And such people don't tend to start by laying a groundwork of future blame.
The problem is that relations between countries, like those between individuals, require three things: intent, good faith, and control. Assume for a moment that both the Israelis and Palestinians are serious about peace and are serious in what they say to each other. The Palestinian Authority still does not control its constituency. To be more accurate, the PA's constituency is not the same as all the Palestinians. Such groups as Hamas, Fatah, and Islamic Jihad have made it clear that they are not under the organization's control. That is clear from the fact that they had to explicitly agree to the idea of a cease-fire before any could begin.
I admit that I rarely seem to agree with President Bush, but I find myself in close agreement that Hamas - and, by extension, the other groups - must be completely dismantled. Until then, the PA will miss the authority that the Palestinians so badly need.
8:23:02 PM 
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