The ceasefire Israel and the Palestinian leadership declared on Tuesday provides a hopeful sign for peace in that part of the world. Since the death of Yasser Arafat in November, the ceasefire has created the first momentum for negotiations between the two sides. For Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, elected just a month ago, the truce is something of a gain, as he managed to entice militant Hamas with the prospect of political power through the Palestinian parliamentary elections in July and convinced the hardline Israeli leadership that the “the terror” against Israelis had been ended. He did this with a speed that astonished, though not totally pleased, the Israeli leadership, which was left with no option but to sign the joint declaration to avoid being held responsible for the collapse of the interim truce. Having agreed to end violence against each other anywhere, both sides have pledged to break a four-year cycle of bloodshed and resume peace talks. Both Abbas and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon have received an invitation to meet US president George W Bush in Washington.

This and Sharon’s statement that Israel would soon release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners constitute the first step towards a final settlement. Permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians is not possible unless a sovereign and independent Palestinian state is created, resolving, to the satisfaction of the Palestinian people, the ‘final status’ issues such as borders, refugees and Jerusalem’s status. Abbas has won the support of the Palestinian people on the agenda of a state within the 1967 borders, east Jerusalem as its capital and a just settlement for the refugees and the prisoners. The ball for peace is in Israel’s and, as its crucial backer, in America’s court. The Palestinians are an aggrieved party, refugees in their own land and under occupation, and they are not in a position to win their rights by force. But without addressing their just aspirations, Israel cannot win peace, either.

There are fears that Sharon might delay the resumption of talks on the “final status” questions. But Abbas, by meeting his demand for ending the violence, may help build international pressure on him. However, the road to peace is full of bumps, particularly given Israel’s hitherto stress on imposing its own version of Palestinian statehood. The conflict cannot be resolved by reference to history alone, the present realities — military, political and international — also need to be taken into account. Israel’s right to exist within secure and internationally recognised boundaries and the Palestinians’ right to a full statehood within similar boundaries should be beyond dispute for any lasting political settlement.