Vive la Difference?

CS Monitor knew that the eye-catching headline about the (most) recent Israeli-Palestinian truce would be "Why this deal might be different". It's a nice thought, but InstantReplay is unconvinced. With Hamas, Al-Aqsa and others maintaining that they are not bound by the truce (though they will tone things down out of respect), it seems an awfully pointless gesture. Abu Mazen's Palestinian Authority has, after all, not been attacking anyone lately. And InstantReplay doubts that Sharon can really control his trigger-finger when provoked.

The result is that this truce has all the same weaknesses we are accustomed to. The extremists on both sides have veto power over any concessions. All they have to do is cause a bit of violence, and the spiral of retaliation will start again. Until one side or the other refuses to respond (following the example of Iraq's Shia), there's no reason to really hope.