Stay calm

Don't get excited. It may mean nothing at all. Too many times, that's exactly what such things have meant: nothing. Still, I can't help but see a glimmer of hope in the fact of some other nothings, that is, in what hasn't happened between Israel and the Palestinians.

For one thing, despite the occurrence of some incidents, some shootings, of a sort that in the past would have been used as an excuse to undo any developing rapprochement, talks are continuing, contacts have not been broken amid threats and accusations.

And now, despite the Palestinian Authority's foolish depiction of a proposed prisoner release by Israel as "insulting," something that in the past could have lead to Ariel Sharon (literally) throwing up his hands, declaring "they don't want peace," and undertaking some new offensive, Haaretz (Israel) says that

Israel and the Palestinians agreed in talks Saturday night on the establishment of a special committee to deal with the thorny issue of prisoner release, and to address the issue in earnest following the completion of the summit meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh on Tuesday.

How this plays out remains to be seen: According to Haaretz, there is division within the Israeli government on the hardest of the prisoner issues: dealing with those who have killed Israelis. The defense minister and the chief of staff say they should be eligible for release, while the head of Shin Bet, (the counter-intelligence and internal security service) is opposed with Sharon leaning toward the latter. In addition,

President Moshe Katsav also told Sharon Saturday that he would not be prepared to authorize the release of Palestinian prisoners who killed Israelis - regardless of government decisions on the issue. Katsav has the authority to grant amnesty to prisoners.

An agreement to release any such prisoners, therefore, could provoke a government crisis. That could prove to be a bigger stumbling block than the actual negotiations over the prisoners, since it's doubtful that Sharon, already in a near-constant political struggle over his Gaza withdrawal plan, would want to pick another very public fight.

But still, take some hope - calm, not excited hope, but some hope - in the simple fact that the two sides have actually agreed to talk about it. Again, as always, they come in with very different agendas: Israel will discuss the prisoners; the PA will want to arrange for their release. I hope - there's that word again - that each side realizes that and has already thought about some approaches to deal with it. But at least they will be in the same room.