Israelis give Palestinians take in first meeting

Washington Times:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met for their first formal summit yesterday, and Israel agreed to release tens of millions of dollars in customs duties and to ease restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank.
The gestures were aimed at restarting moribund peace efforts and buttressing the Palestinian leader in his struggles with daily violence between gunmen in his Fatah party and the militant Islamist Hamas.
The surprise meeting took place at the prime minister's Jerusalem residence. Television footage showed Mr. Olmert embracing Mr. Abbas and kissing the Palestinian leader on both cheeks. The prime minister's wife, Aliza, an artist sympathetic to the peace movement within Israel, shook hands with Mr. Abbas.
The two men agreed to meet often and to remain in contact, Mr. Olmert's office said afterward. "The two leaders believe that this meeting will be the first step in rebuilding trust and establishing a fruitful partnership."
An aide to Mr. Abbas described the two-hour meeting yesterday evening as "good" and said it would be the first in a series of talks between the two leaders.
Mr. Olmert and Mr. Abbas met briefly in June over breakfast hosted by King Abdullah II in Jordan, but the detente was short-lived.
Several days later, Palestinian militants captured Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, triggering a months-long Israeli incursion in Gaza that left scores of Palestinians dead.
Yesterday marked the first substantive discussion between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in nearly two years.
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The substance of the meeting seems to be Israeli gifts to Abbas. the quid pro quo is probably the hope that the gifts will strengthen Abbas in the election he has called. Perhaps the gifts were part of a deal for calling the election to begin with. It could be that they are part of the framework of behind the scenes maneuvers by the Jordanian, Egyptian, and Saudi governments along with the US to broker a deal.