Suddenly a glimmer of hope for Middle East peace talks

There hasn’t been much good news out of the Middle East of late. But events in Washington this week at least provide the promise of some hope for resurrecting the peace process.

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have not had as close a relationship as most past presidents and prime ministers, met in the White House Tuesday and emerged to put on a public display of newfound cordiality.

But while history shows that peace talks between Israel and its neighboring enemies cannot be seriously pursued without the United States playing an active role, nothing is accomplished unless Israelis and Palestinians are ready and willing to compromise. And the issues on which compromise is necessary are immense, from the future of West Bank settlements to the partitioning of Jerusalem to the recognition of Israel’s statehood.

And while there is an established and democratically elected government on Israel’s part, the Palestinian Authority has opposition from politically power splinter groups that remain unwilling to recognize even Israel’s right to exist.

Still the White House meeting between Obama and Netanyahu — and the events leading up to the meeting — provide as much reason for optimism as has been seen for years.

A good first step

Israel took an important step before the meeting by easing its blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow food, most consumer goods and even some construction materials to enter the territory. Israel had come under heavy worldwide criticism for its conduct in enforcing the blockade, and Obama had described the embargo as “unsustainable.”

Loosing the embargo and using the Palestinian Authority to coordinate the delivery of construction materials to the Palestinian Authority was described by Tony Blair, the international community’s envoy, as “significant.”

At the same time, U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh are working to upgrade indirect talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel to direct talks. That would be no small victory in itself, since the Palestinians have demanded that Israel first freeze settlement construction.

While Obama and Netanyahu agreed after Tuesday’s meeting that the two sides should be speaking directly, Netanyahu and his political base are not inclined toward a building freeze.

Despite the best efforts of Blair, Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a visit to the region by Obama would be the ultimate gesture. Netanyahu extended the invitation to Obama for a visit and Obama implied acceptance, but that won’t be happening soon. For one thing, Obama has too much on his domestic plate now. For another, no president would commit to such a high profile role in the process unless there was a real prospect for significant success.

The next date to watch is July 29, when Arab diplomats meet in Cairo to evaluate the results of three months of indirect talks.