Progress in the Mideast

"Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire" sounds like an oxymoron, given the history of attacks and counter-attacks that have plagued that world hot spot in recent memory. So any step toward the advancement of improved relationships and a stop to the killing on both sides is welcome news.

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas this week announced a formal cease-fire as both sides enter into negotiations aimed at peaceful coexistence. This is considered by many Mideast experts as a positive sign in the wake of Yassar Arafat's death.

While the cease-fire brings new hope to calming the Israeli-Palestinian feud, there is less hope for ending the terrorist attacks by groups like Hamas. Shortly after the cease-fire was announced during a summit in Egypt, Palestinians shot at a car near a West Bank Jewish settlement and threw firebombs at soldiers who came to investigate. Officially, Hamas has said it hasn't decided yet whether or not it will honor the cease-fire.

Renewed pressure for resolution of the deadly tension between Israel and Palestinians has also come from the Bush administration. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged, after a meeting this week with Abbas, $40 million to the Palestinians for job creation and infrastructure.

This latest accord renews hope that other Mideastern conflicts can be soothed, particularly Israel's relations with Syria. Talks between those two countries broke off nearly five years ago.