After all the darkness, the flicker of hope from Israel and Palestine this week looks from afar almost like a beam. The people on the spot are harder to dazzle. Yes, Hamas and the other Palestinian extremists have declared a temporary ceasefire, which is better than no ceasefire at all. And, yes, Israel has withdrawn its forces from parts of Gaza and Bethlehem, which is better than no withdrawal at all. But relations between Arab and Jew in Palestine are still far, far worse today than they were three years ago, before the collapse of the Camp David summit, the eruption of the intifada and Israel's reconquest of the areas it had ceded to the Palestinians during the 1990s. Though Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers, shook hands warmly for the cameras (and for George Bush) on July 1st, a poll showed that less than half of the people on each side thought a political settlement would ensue. Worse, only 18% of Palestinians and a mere 6% of Israelis expected all violence to cease.
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