Giving Peace a Chance?

[sbs]

Israel set for Bethlehem pullout

Israeli troops are due to withdraw from the West Bank town of Bethlehem later on Wednesday in what is seen as another step under the Middle East peace plan. The move will follow Tuesday's talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, during which both sides agreed to press ahead with the US-backed international peace plan known as the roadmap.

Palestinian police will take over security control in Bethlehem under a deal which should see Israeli troops pulling back to positions they held before the beginning of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000.

On Sunday, Israel ceded control over parts of the Gaza Strip after main Palestinian militant groups had declared a ceasefire.
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Or is it just the latest in a long line of ill fated attempts!

Opinions please.........I just know you have something to say Tom!

Full story here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3037168.stm

[maradona]

lets hope so

sometimes it takes right wing hawks to achieve these sorts of things - not because they are any better at it but because there isn't much ground left on the right for them to come under the sort of criticism and sniping that a more liberal or leftish administration can get....like Nixon and China, never could have happened with a democratic president

[Takk]

Have hamas declared a ceasefire? If they haven't then i can't see this working. The only way that this can really work is if the Israelis are prepared to accept the suicide bombs without taking more territory, to work with the palestinian authorities and "put up" with the attacks without retaliation.

[Mr. Paranoia]

I think the European Union and the world in general could have done so much more in order to isolate and spit the Hamas and his killing-children-in-the-name-of visions the hell out of this conflict's key players team (I wouldn't mind seeing Arafat, who's still having a good laugh at us all behind the scenes being kicked off either), but I've never expected them to do that much honestly. Sometimes selfish interests simply worth more than us, Palestinians or Israelis. I know it's a painful point to raise, but I don't find today's world much different than the one we had during WWII. Anyone mentioned Congo? I didn't think so.

What else can be added? The reality's spat in our face far too many times in the past, but it does look and sound a little bit more genuine this time. We'll just have to wait and see. One thing for sure, we're fucking sick and heartbroken of this endless bloodshed.