Going further than a cease-fire

[oberliner]

IF IT LASTS, the cease-fire that Israel and the Palestinians announced Sunday is a first step. At least three more steps need to be taken in its wake: the release of prisoners, the establishment of a new Palestinian government that advocates coexistence with Israel rather than its destruction and the commencement of comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Will these second, third and fourth steps be taken soon? That depends on whether the first — the cease-fire — is a lasting one. It is possible that the Palestinians have learned the hard way that shelling Israeli towns does not bring them closer to independence, just as the Israelis have learned that large-scale military operations do not silence the Palestinians.

There is reason to believe that the Hamas government's policies have reached a dead end. They have resulted in an international and Israeli financial blockade, ongoing anguish and needless casualties. There is also reason to believe that the Israeli government understands that there are no unilateral solutions — and no options other than to try to reach an agreement.

Not insignificant forces — the fanatics on each side — continue to fan the flames. They brand any compromise as defeatism, a display of weakness. Palestinian extremists aspire to carry on the "armed struggle" until Israel is liquidated. Israeli extremists demand that their government reconquer the Gaza Strip and renounce the idea of ever relinquishing the occupied territories. The bloodbath, and the feeling that there is no way out of it, have led moderates on both sides to lose hope. The weakness of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas amplifies this despair.

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