Promising start:

There’s much to be happy about after Tuesday’s Mideast summit meeting in Sharm el Sheik in Egypt. For starters, Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas actually met, which is no small thing. They agreed to a truce, and to meet again soon.

It’s too early to tell if all this good will is just battle fatigue, or a new phase in a conflict that has led to so much blood and tears. If the Israeli and Palestinian people are ever to have peace, they’ve got to start somewhere, and Sharm el Sheik seems as good a place as any. Now both sides have some adjustments to make. The Israelis must be demanding, realistic and smart. They must be demanding in continuing to push Abbas to crack down on the killers who have used Israeli civilians for target practice, to punish those who orchestrate suicide bombings and to destroy bomb and rocket factories. They must be realistic in understanding that Abbas has been in office for less than a month, that he may need time to put the muddled affairs of the Palestinian Authority in order.

Abbas, for his part, must tackle, without delay, the difficult problem of making that truce stick, and he must punish those who violate it. That means figuring out a way to take on Hamas, Islamic Jihad and, from his own Fatah party, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades. Tuesday was a welcome step. If peace is the target, it’s a road worth travelling. — The New York Times