In fact, both sides made new concessions no small matter for bloodied adversaries who claim the same land. The trick was to address Israeli security concerns while also giving the Palestinians some measure of dignity and control over their own lives in the small areas assigned to them under last year’s breakthrough accords on interim self-rule. The PLO ceded Israel ultimate authority over international borders with Gaza and Jericho during autonomy; Israel, in turn, vowed to make its presence in the Palestinian sections of border stations as invisible as possible. Israeli soldiers will retain full control over Jewish settlements and important access roads but will cooperate with Palestinian police in case of trouble involving Arabs. The limited success of negotiators in solving very complex issues, said Israeli negotiator Uri Savir, is “a first sign of an ability to solve other problems and, probably, of an ability to live together.” Score this one for the Optimists.
