Clashes threaten Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

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World Blog: Tel Aviv, Israel

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Before the latest violence, participants had reported a friendly atmosphere not seen since the most promising days of peacemaking between slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Abbas at one point referred to Olmert with an Arab honorific, "Abu Shaul," or "Father of Shaul," his first-born son. Olmert recently held an umbrella for Abbas in the rain.

The two leaders had been meeting every two weeks, greeting each other with an embrace, eating lunch together, swapping jokes. The last 15 minutes of each 90-minute encounter had been spent without aides, exchanging frank thoughts in English.

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By all accounts, each had sought to allay the other's deepest suspicions — such as Abbas' assurances to Olmert that he need not worry about millions of Palestinian refugees flooding Israel. The talks were businesslike, focusing on a framework for Palestinian statehood, participants on both sides said.

Honoring agreements
The two sides have largely honored their agreement not to divulge details of the negotiations, aware that doing so would likely thwart progress by stirring up opposition.

Still, it's clear to all that no treaty is likely to be implemented while Hamas clings to power in Gaza, exchanging blows with Israel.

In recent weeks, the Jewish state has come under increasing pressure, especially from Europe, to ease its blockade of Gaza and open the territory's shuttered borders because of the humanitarian hardships the policy is causing ordinary Gazans.

With this week's fighting, it appears unlikely Israel would consider easing the blockade — a reality that could embolden extremists and increase hatred for Western-backed peacemakers.

Assuming that peace talks survive, the prevailing hope is that progress in negotiations will tip the balance away from Hamas and in favor of the moderates.

Yet in the blood-soaked regions of Gaza and southern Israel, peace today seems as distant as ever.