Abbas, Olmert, Bush... another moment of Hope

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestine's leader Mahmoud Abbas came together in Annapolis (capital of Maryland, btw!) for a highest-level conference in the last more than half-a-dozen years, hosted by the closely involved President Bush, and honorably attended by representatives of many countries.
Hope dies last; to date, so many people on both sides have died, this one better be a fruitful moment of hope now. The speeches by both Abbas and Olmert were very serious. They both openly mentioned nearly all of the most sore issues between the sides. They were both very emotional (Abbas's speech was so emotional toward the end,I wonder how he was able to prevent tears). Both of them have staked their entire political authority and legitimacy in these talks.
Importantly, Abbas did mention terrorism (referring to Arab terrorism against Israelis) in the most open way one could expect, condemned it, and committed to fighting it no matter what. This was an important admission, although perhaps easier than for Olmert to admit Israeli violence upon the Palestinians. In Olmert's otherwise very strong speech, in which he truly said many things that can easily jeopardize his own leadership, he did not say anything to the effect of admitting Israel's systematically disproportionate "retaliations" upon the Palestinians... At a second thought, it is perhaps acceptable that he fail to admit anything of this, for he did already say much more than a prudent Israeli leader would say.
Now that both sides sound to have truly committed, and have opened up to talking about the most sensitive issues, and sound prepared to make "painful" decisions, one wonders how far the two leaders will be able to carry the weight. Hamas, to which Olmert referred openly as the terrorist group, is not a handful of suicide bombers - it accounts for a very sizeable portion of Palestinians, and Abbas has had to really struggle to stay in power. Similarly, Israeli prime ministers have not been very immune to domestic challenge, and the Knesset is not a body that just goes along. So, with so much hope hyped up, one hopes these two will be able to command legitimacy and support with their domestic bases.
This 'last minute' initiative on the part of the Bush administration, and himself personally, - an initiative not at all characteristic of Bush - is interesting, and hopefully carries true commitment. This is obviously an effort to leave something truly good as his legacy. Abbas expressed a hope about Bush's presidency that may be too late already: "We hope that this will be the culmination of your legacy for the world -- a world more free of violence, persecution and fanaticism." If anything, 'all other things being equal', the world has become more violent, intolerant and fanatical, in significant degrees thanks to Bush's foreign policy. But nonetheless, this last stroke of brush in Bush's presidency, if it succeeds, may indeed tilt the balance in his favor very significantly. And, if it happens, this one good news will have come from a kind of politics that Bush has mostly avoided.

Hope is certainly a noble thing; and as any noble thing, this one is also an easy target for the bigots, intolerants, and fanatics. Already, a few hours after the formal opening speeches, voices of criticism and rejection have come out against both Abbas and Olmert. Abbas in his speech was especially coming strong to touch some strings in the peoples' hearts, addressing both Israeli people and Palestinian people. Olmert was a bit less poignant in trying to make his message acceptable. I believe, Abbas's emphasis was well targeted, and it is important for the whole peace process now to be constantly also in communication with the peoples of both sides, and not become isolated in cabinet negotiations. One thing that certainly must be done to prevent the malign effect of the bigots and fanatics on the broader public support for the process on both sides, is to deliver the peace-making message more strongly than the bigots and fanatics against it do.