The right kind of diplomacy

Philadelphia Inquirer: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush now have solid evidence of how the personal involvement of a top official can score big diplomatic victories.
Rice announced Tuesday in Jerusalem that Israelis and Palestinians will take steps to ease access into the Gaza Strip, which Israeli forces turned over to Palestinians in September. Until Rice's tour de force performance, talks on Gaza, and the chances for a fuller peace process, had broken down.
Greater freedom of movement for people and commerce is essential if post-occupation Gaza is to be the model for a Palestinian state. Economic progress has been hard under the constraints Israel imposed on Gaza after its withdrawal.
Israel has a reasonable, immediate concern: that terrorists would use Gaza as a base to attack Israel. The agreement calls on the European Union to help the Palestinian Authority monitor the critical Rafah crossing near Egypt.
Peace and prosperity
But the best long-term prospects for Israeli security rest with Gaza making economic progress that improves Palestinians' daily lives. Israel's grip on land, air and sea routes into and out of Gaza made such progress impossible.
Israeli security also depends upon moderates gaining strength over terrorists. Even small advances could help lift Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' moderate Fatah faction over the militant Hamas group in January elections.
Because Rice personally pushed negotiators into an all-night session, Palestinians will have the final say at the Rafah crossing. People and cargo should be able to move more easily between Israel, Gaza, and the other piece of land that falls under the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank. Construction will begin on a Palestinian seaport and consideration given to rebuilding the airport.
With President Clinton's futile attempt at mediating no doubt in mind, Bush resisted assigning a high-level official to address Middle East fighting. Rice's personal role in these talks is an encouraging sign for diplomacy in Bush's second term.