The question is what does Netanyahu truly want. Are the signs of peace genuine?

"... Ben Caspit of Israel's Maariv newspaper notes that Netanyahu displayed a Palestinian flag when he hosted Abbas at his Jerusalem residence for talks Wednesday:

It would be impossible to overstate the importance of the Palestinian flag on display in the Prime Minister's Residence. Particularly when the prime minister is Binyamin Netanyahu, the

leader of the Israeli right wing, the nationalist prime minister, the man who swore never to establish a Palestinian state. Irrespective of what Netanyahu truly wants, the evidence has begun to build up in the meantime: the vision of two states that he cited in his Bar Ilan speech, the unprecedented construction freeze in the settlements, the use of the term "West Bank" in his White House speech, and now the flag. In his own home. A prominent settler leader who knows Netanyahu well was right when he said last week, "We've lost Bibi." At least for the time being.

The question is what does Netanyahu truly want. Are the signs of peace genuine? The answer is complex. For now, inside the room, the talk is serious. Yes, the parties are talking about the core issues. All of the core issues. Both in the direct negotiations and in the talks that are being held by means of the various emissaries (mainly Molcho and Erekat). Drafts of borders have been put on the table, the fate of Jewish "enclaves," such as Hebron, have been addressed, the question of the timetable has also been discussed. Incidentally, there have been some surprises with regard to the timetable. It turns out that the Egyptians aren't put off by Netanyahu's proposed timetable. The idea of a "framework agreement now; implementation within twenty to thirty years," suits them just fine. And maybe they are not alone. ..

Translation by the Israeli Press Review, which noted in its overview today that despite Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell's upbeat summary of the substantive discussions between the two leaders yesterday, "the Israeli press, relying on a variety of sources, did not take its cue from Mitchell. Rather, Yedioth Ahronoth, for instance, focused on the major differences that remained in place between the parties, and struck a skeptical note about the prospect of the talks resulting in a peace agreement. According to reports, no breakthrough was achieved on the West Bank construction moratorium..."