Friday September 3, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

The session is over. Netanyahu and Abbas are home already.

Many pundits are proclaiming the success of the meeting. Politicians are elated by the "frankness of the discussion."

All the hoopla is generated by an agreement to meet, again, in two weeks time at Sharm el Sheik. Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell will be there. Abbas and Netanyahu will lead their teams.

And then they will continue to meet every other week.

These next two weeks are essential to the success of this venture. The leaders must convince their masses as well as their political enemies that this is the correct route and this is the right time.

We will watch and evaluate. We will see how Netanyahu and Abbas respond to the challenges placed before them, to the stumbling blocks placed in their paths. We are not looking for a quick conclusion, we are merely hoping to be able to predict whether or not there will be further talks, whether any progress is being made.

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