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Published on November 27, 2007

After six years of putting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the back burner, US President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should be commended for taking another crack at getting the two sides to the negotiating table. The turnout for the US-led conference in Annapolis may be impressive, but realistically a major breakthrough is still years away. Indeed, nobody expects Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to come to any meaningful agreement at this meeting. Both are weak leaders. But that doesn't mean that the gathering is just a photo opportunity.

Naturally, it would have been better from the Palestinian point of view if Hamas had backed the process. But at the moment Hamas is locked in a battle for political supremacy with Abbas.

Despite the high level of participation, it is obvious that getting all the key players in the same room will not be enough. For the past few months, Israel and Palestine have been at deadlock over whether to address the core issues in general terms or in greater detail. The Palestinians would like to raise sticky issues including border demarcation between Israel and a future Palestinian state, a resolution to disputed claims to Jerusalem, and the fate of the Palestinian refugees since Israel's establishment in 1948.

Israel, on the other hand, wants much less explicit language in the negotiated text that will open the door to future negotiations on all disputed areas.

Besides declaring a formal resumption of peace talks that broke down seven years ago, Israel should use this meeting to explore other avenues to peace. Opportunity is knocking on and it would be a crime not to take advantage of it.

The participation of Saudi Arabia and 14 other Arab states shouldn't be seen as a boost only for the US but for Israel as well. Riyadh does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. Syria, a key adversary of Israel, has also accepted the invitation, reportedly following an agreement that the occupied Golan Heights be mentioned at the gathering.

Syria wants to be rid of its terrorist state label and to perhaps use the meeting in the US this week to change its political course and become a constructive player in the region. Damascus risks losing out in the region if it continues on its current course.

Indeed, this could be the start of a new beginning for Syria; for years the country has been in the unwanted international spotlight for its involvement in Lebanon and its perceived antagonistic role in the Middle East.

For the participants, at stake are their reputations and their political capital should they fail to build on the momentum started here. At the very least, they must accept the idea of a disciplined process of negotiations. Better yet, they should announce a timeline for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Essentially, the matter rests with the Israelis and Palestinians. At this point, no one knows what kind of language will be used in the agreed text for this week's meeting. But all parties know that, eventually, a number of sensitive issues - particularly the right of Palestinian refugees to return - will have to be addressed.

Time and demographics in the region may have changed in the decades following the Palestinian diaspora, and the issue of refugees will continue to plague all the parties unless it is tackled adequately.

One should not rule out the issue of compensation - not only to Palestinian refugees but also to the Arab countries who have accommodated them. Essentially this will mean a massive payoff amounting to several billion dollars, and Israel will have to be a major contributor.

After decades of bloodshed, Israeli and Palestinian leaders now owe it to their people to come up with something they can look forward to. Simply put, the Palestinian side must show a commitment to hunt down anti-Israel militants and Israel must halt its settlements - as any further expansion of these will complicate land exchange, should this become an agreed mechanism in the future.

But while Abbas may be gaining momentum internationally, he still has Hamas to contend with. Hamas may persist with its refusal to accept Israel's right to exist, but a productive meeting this week, along with strong backing for the peace process from Arab states, could compel its leaders to rethink their position.

The Nation