It was an invitation without an R.S.V.P. Come on over, President Bush told his newly elected Palestinian Authority counterpart — but let\’s wait to set a date. The check is in the mail, I\’m just not sure how much.
After Mahmoud Abbas\’ convincing victory this week in the election for Palestinian Authority president
Anyone hungry for good news in the world could have sat down to a full meal this week on word of the Palestinian election.
With a patient realpolitik, not to mention the tacit approval of Israel and the United States, Mahmoud Abbas is inching toward the Palestinian leadership.
A poll of West Bank and Gaza Strip residents released Sunday found that a plurality of Palestinians, 41 percent, support Abbas\’ bid to succeed Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president — a coup, considering the dour, 69-year-old PLO veteran\’s single-digit showing in the polls until recently. The presidential election is scheduled Jan. 9.
With the Mideast "road map" inching forward and a new Palestinian leadership gaining traction both at home and in Washington, Jewish leaders here — with the usual exceptions — are ready to give peace a chance.
Israeli officials are hailing the choice of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian prime minister as a potential watershed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that creates new hope for a cease-fire and a new political process.
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