Going further than a ceasefire

A lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace will require painful but long-overdue compromises from both sides

If it lasts, the ceasefire that Israel and the Palestinians announced Sunday is a first step. At least three more steps need to be taken in its wake: the release of prisoners, the establishment of a new Palestinian government that advocates coexistence with Israel rather than its destruction and the commencement of comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Will these second, third and fourth steps be taken soon? That depends on whether the first 8212; the ceasefire 8212; is a lasting one. It is possible that the Palestinians have learned the hard way that shelling Israeli towns does not bring them closer to independence, just as the Israelis have learned that large-scale military operations do not silence the Palestinians.

There is reason to believe that the Hamas government8217;s policies have reached a dead end. They have resulted in an international and Israeli financial blockade, ongoing anguish and needless casualties. There is also reason to believe that the Israeli government understands that there are no unilateral solution 8212; and no options other than to try to reach an agreement.

Not insignificant forces 8212; the fanatics on each side 8212; continue to fan the flames. They brand any compromise as defeatism, a display of weakness. Palestinian extremists aspire to carry on the 8220;armed struggle8221; until Israel is liquidated. Israeli extremists demand that their government reconquer the Gaza Strip and renounce the idea of ever relinquishing the occupied territories. The bloodbath, and the feeling that there is no way out of it, have led moderates on both sides to lose hope8230;

Israelis and Palestinians don8217;t need an international peace conference or new European peace plans. We need direct negotiations. Negotiations about what? Not about 8220;convergence,8221; Olmert8217;s euphemism for unilaterally disengaging from the Palestinians and putting them behind a fence. Not about a hudna or a tahadiya, the Arabic words for the temporary armistice or truce that Palestinian leaders have suggested. We need an all-inclusive, comprehensive, bilateral agreement that will resolve all aspects of the war between Israel and Palestine8230;

Excerpted from a piece by Amos Oz, an Israeli novelist, in 8216;LA Times8217;, November 29