A Mideast peace consensus

Something new and important has emerged in Israel in recent weeks: the formation of a consensus on peacemaking with the Palestinians. One clear sign was the decisive 87-to-17 parliamentary vote in support of the Hebron agreement two weeks ago. Another was the set of guidelines for a final peace settlement jointly endorsed by a number of leaders of both the Labor and Likud parties.

Less than a year ago Israel was sharply divided. A Labor-led government was ready to push ahead toward a final territorial settlement that would have conceded most of the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank, outside Jerusalem, to the Palestinians. The Likud-led opposition was opposed to the initial round of Israeli troop withdrawals and remained determined to keep most of the West Bank under permanent Israeli control.

But seven months in power has shown the Likud mainstream, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that a strong majority of Israelis believe in trading Palestinian-inhabited territory for a secure peace. Much of Labor, including some of the party's most prominent doves, now understand that without securing a consensus for peace there can be little prospect for successful negotiations on the critical issues that remain. These would include the future of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, security arrangements and the possibility of Palestinian statehood.

The joint peace guidelines announced on Sunday are based on three central principles. First, Palestinians should be able to establish their own self-governing "political entity". Second, Israel should retain the right and ability to defend itself, including special security provisions in the Jordan Valley. And finally, no Jewish settlements should be forcibly uprooted, although some outlying communities may be surrounded by Palestinian-ruled territory.

For the Likud participants, the guidelines represent the first explicit acceptance of eventual territorial partition. For those on the Labor side, the biggest step involves recognizing the permanence of settlements. There was no Palestinian participation in drafting the guidelines, but some of the provisions on Jerusalem reflect ideas informally worked out between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators when the Labor government was in power.

The negotiating guidelines are not binding for either Labor or Likud. But the proposals, and the process that produced them, means it is more likely Israel can be united as it addresses the emotional issues deferred to the final round of peace talks. Setbacks to the Mideast peace process can come at any moment, but so can surprising advances. Few have been as important as the growing convergence of Labor and Likud's positions on peace.

-- The New York Times