Yes, one could be forgiven for feeling optimistic seeing Ariel Sharon and Mahmud Abbas smile (yes, apparently Mahmud does smile) while shaking hands, and hearing Abbas speak of the PA ceasing “all acts of violence against the Israelis.”
But we have heard it all before.
Furthermore, when I read this..
However, the Hamas representative in Lebanon said shortly after the summit that his group will not be bound by the cease-fire declarations.“The talk about what the leader of the Palestinian Authority called a cessation of acts of violence is not binding on the resistance because this is a unilateral stand and was not the result of the outcome of an intra-Palestinian dialogue as has been agreed previously,” Hamdan told The Associated Press.
And see pictures like this..
Palestinian gunmen from Jenin watch the broadcast of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the flashpoint West Bank town (AFP/Saif Dahlah)
..I am not too optimistic. At least I won’t be until Abbas takes concrete steps to fight terror and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. Declaring temporary ceasefires is insufficient.
While he’s at it, he might also want to cease all anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement emanating from the PA media.
If he takes these measures, then, and only then, will I be hopeful for peace.
Update: Another example of “all talk and no action.” When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says this..
“The Palestinian and Israeli peoples equally deserve a secure life for the coming generations to enjoy, based on justice, international principles and good neighborliness,” the Egyptian president added.
..it is a great soundbyte. But “good neighborliness” doesn’t mean much coming from Mubarak.
Counter to earlier hopes in Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Abdullah, the King of Jordan, did not announce at Tuesday’s summit in Sharm al-Sheikh that they would return their ambassadors to Tel Aviv after more than four years of absence.
