From The Land of Bethlehem

Maybe it's just holiday cheer or goodwill toward men, but there is some good news spilling out of the Holy Land these days. Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas held their first meeting ever, and while nothing specific came out of it, there is talk of Olmert delivering $100 million in collected taxes to the Palestinians, as well as the removal of many West Bank roadblocks and the release of prisoners. Olmert is even reportedly considering a prisoner release WITHOUT the subsequent release by the Palestinians of Gilad Shalit, who's been held by Hamas for months.

So what is going on here? With what amounts to a civil war going on within Palestine (particularly in Gaza), it does appear that Olmert is trying to choose his negotiating partner. Obviously the path to peace is improbable with Hamas and possible with Abbas and Fatah. So by giving a boost to Abbas' public profile through this meeting and these acts of goodwill, Olmert is trying to make Fatah look good in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Now, that has the ability (some would say likelihood) of backfiring, as doing any business with Israel may not be seen as a positive in that community. However, there is this remarkable poll (hat tip) that suggests the Palestinians want peace even more than the Israelis do. The results of this poll are kind of astounding, and speak to the disconnect between hardline politicians and the war-weary people.

Joint Israeli-Palestinian poll shows 81 percent of Palestinians, 58 percent of Israelis support comprehensive agreement over interim agreement. 54 percent of Israelis support negotiation with Hamas gov't if necessary

There is a clear preference among Israelis and Palestinians for a comprehensive political solution as opposed to an interim solution, according to a joint Israeli-Palestinian poll.

The poll was conducted by the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in Ramallah between the 11th and 16th of December.

According to the poll, 58 percent of Israelis and 81 percent of Palestinians prefer a comprehensive solution to the current conflict, while only 30 percent of Israelis and 16 percent of Palestinians prefer an interim agreement.

Additionally, 28 percent of Palestinians polled support the creation of a demilitarized state, while 70 percent oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state without a military or strong security force.

In contrast, 62 percent of Israeli respondents supported a demilitarized Palestinian state, while 36 percent opposed this.

There's probably a little margin of error here, with the intellectual reaction for peace sometimes overshadowed by the emotional reaction for more war. (An example: "In a race for the presidency between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, 46 percent of respondents said they would vote for Abbas, while 45 percent said they would vote for Haniyeh." An even divide.) But if people on both sides of the divide vote with their head and not their heart, perhaps someday there can be a solution to this intractable problem which causes such suffering, not only in the immediate region but throughout the Middle East.