| Sumario: | Drawing on his own recent visit to the region and discussions with interested parties there, the writer expresses hopes of a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. He asserts that the Israelis and the majority Fatah wing of the Palestine movement have a common interest in containing Hamas, the Iran-backed radical Sunni group that controls Gaza. He adds that acknowledgment of this interest has led to significant cooperation in such areas as intelligence, the detention of suspected terrorists, and the training, and equipping the Palestinian security forces. He notes that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is finally creating an infrastructure of statehood, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel also appears committed to finding a solution. He suggests that both sides are much closer than they have been in the past to agreement on a range of issues, from refugees and land swaps to post-accord security terms.
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