The best news from Israel right now is that the ceasefire with Hamas is holding. This may be disquieting to the far right. It is an article of faith for the right that it is impossible to cut a deal with Hamas. But that is precisely what Israel did when, seeing no alternative, it agreed to the ceasefire. Hamas has demonstrated that it can end the violence when it wants to and that it can enforce peace and quiet.

TEL AVIV, Israel -- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lingered for 60 years and a practical and pragmatic solution is needed in order to end the suffering on both sides, restore a sense of pride and dignity among Palestinians, reduce radicalism and hatred directed against Israel, and repair the image of the United States in the region.

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is trying desperately to salvage what remains of his tattered reputation in a last ditch bid to achieve some success on the Palestinian-Israeli front before he steps down as premier in the next couple of weeks.

AMMAN -- Chances of coming in from the cold are looking better for Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip, as the world braces itself for crucial changes in political leaderships and power shifts that might also bring strategic policy turns in the Middle East.

BEIRUT -- Jordan is the great survivor in the Arab World, so when it starts shuffling its diplomatic cards, it means there is something going on worth watching. More specifically, when the Jordanian Intelligence Department chief holds political talks with a top Hamas official -- as just happened -- we should anticipate important changes ahead in the Arab world.

AMMAN -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began on Monday what has become a routine visit to Israel and the West Bank as the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush races against time to try to clinch a peace deal in fewer than 150 days; but despite an Israeli "goodwill" gesture in releasing 198 Palestinian prisoners, there were no new signs that deal was near.

Among the many conflicts in the Middle East — Syrias attempted destabilization of Lebanon, Iranian ambitions to build a nuclear program, and the war in Iraq — the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the most emotionally charged issue. To this day, Muslims and Arabs continue to perceive Israels very existence as illegitimate: an entity serving the interests of the imperialist and colonialist West.

Part of al-Qaidas master plan, described in last weeks part 1 article, includes a tactic to encircle Israel by penetrating the neighboring territories. And Gaza is a perfect example.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Palestinian journalists and writers seem to have found it difficult to address the current trend of bulldozer attacks in Israel. The piece of construction equipment appears to have joined our national conflict as a new weapon in the hands of Palestinians working inside Israel.

It all depends on whether one is an optimist or a pessimist to argue if there will be, as promised, an "outline" for a fair conclusion to the slow-moving peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in six months time. For a start, the belated talks have been plagued by the presence of three weak leaders at the helms in Palestine, Israel and the United States, all approaching their last days in office.