Peace at Last?

It begins with Grip 'n Grin:

Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged yesterday in Annapolis to begin negotiations next month for a possible peace agreement, but their speeches before representatives of 40 countries -- including Arab nations with no diplomatic ties with Israel -- laid bare the deep grievances between them and the tough compromises that will be necessary to forge a lasting deal.

Of course, the Bush admin has been down this road before:

A previous peace initiative inaugurated by Bush in 2003, known as the "road map," quickly ended in failure. Under the deal reached yesterday, the two sides agreed once again to begin implementing the road map, a three-phase performance-based plan, and, as in 2003, the United States agreed to monitor it. Israel, for instance, must end the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinian security forces must target militant groups that attack Israelis.

To be fair, the Oslo Peace process stumbled with Jerusalem being a deal breaker. Any President that chooses to tackle this volatile issue should be praised. But at a time where our international credibility is in question, one wonders how those on the outside looking in are perceiving this country's motivations. I believe they are genuine, however, time will tell if this is the case.

Flash