Finally, some good news to come out of the Middle East: Israel and the Palestineans have agreed to a cease fire of four years of aggression, violence, and bloodshed. It seems as though Palestinean President Abbas is seizing this historical opportunity and unlike his predecessor Yassar Arafat, is ready to lead his people into peace and their own independent state.

I’m not sure to what extent the Bush administration can claim credit for this (Arafat’s death was the main factor that got the ball rolling), but whoever is in the White House when it happens, the most important thing is that it gets done -- peace between Israel and the Palestineans. There’s still a long ways to go of course, but for the first time in a very long time, there is hope.