ON THE ROAD AGAIN:

Israeli-Palestinian talks raise hope of peace (Charles Levinson, 9/02/07, Sunday Telegraph)

[T]here is a slowly dawning sense in parts of the Middle East that, after seven years of violence in the latest intifada, Israeli-Palestinian efforts are quietly gaining momentum.

Ahead of a US-backed conference planned for November, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, have begun tackling the core issues of the conflict - final borders, the division of Jerusalem, and the resettlement of Palestinian refugees.

They have been meeting one-on-one, and seem to be getting along well, according to insiders.

It would be more efficient to just include them in the first place, but Hamas will observe the settlement it inherits.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 1, 2007 8:56 PM