It is great to see some hope of agreement, and moreover hope that might be practical of achievement.

It would seem that at last common sense has erupted on two sides of the divide.

BUT, and it's a big one,.....that elephant in the corner of the room is yet to be considered.

HAMAS is still the de facto government of Gaza, and at some point their agreement will have to be sought.

They will be a much harder nut to crack, and Abbas cannot realistically promise an end to the violence until they are on board.

Achieving a three cornered agreement is likely to mean greater concessions from Israel than they would be prepared to make.

The most positive part of this development is that it seems to be Israel making the first goodwill move by releasing those Palestinian prisoners without requiring a quid pro quo.

Don T.