I guess I hoped too soon.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&e=2&u=/afp/20050209/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_050209111745
Sharon and Abbas face obstacles after Mideast ceasefire call
1 hour, 33 minutes ago
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and Palestinian Mahmud Abbas were both facing threats to their authority after agreeing at a landmark Middle East summit to end four years of bloodshed.
While world leaders hailed what they widely saw as a chance of a historic breakthrough between Israel and the Palestinians, commentators warned Wednesday that many obstacles lay ahead on the road to peace.
Both Sharon and Abbas declared a ceasefire at the summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh but the main Palestinian militant movement Hamas swiftly dampened some of the optimism by saying it was not bound by the deal.
As Sharon prepared to brief his senior ministers on the outcome of his historic meeting with Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (news - web sites) on the shores of the Red Sea, his disgruntled Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom pledged to lead a campaign to ensure his flagship project to quit Gaza is put to a referedum.
Abbas was also facing a struggle to persuade militant factions such as Hamas to support his declared agreement with Sharon "to cease all acts of violence against Israelis and against Palestinians wherever they are."
In his summit speech, Sharon had reiterated his determination to implement his plan to pull troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip (news - web sites).
The pullout, due to be completed by the end of the year, will be the first time ever that Israel has left occupied Palestinian territory and has been widely cited as another factor which could transform the peace process.
Shalom was conspicuous by his absence at the summit when Sharon reiterated that he was "absolutely determined to implement the disengagement plan".
The foreign minister instead took to the television studios where he said he would push for the project to be put to a referendum despite Sharon repeatedly ruling out such a move.
"I intend to lead a public, parliamentary and political initiative in favour of a referendum," he told private television. "I believe general agreement should be obtained from the people to avoid a serious struggle."
A source close to the prime minister charged that anyone who supported the idea of a referendum was "trying to sabotage the separation plan and bring about the downfall of the prime minister."
The aide also confirmed that Sharon was ready to meet Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which serves as the political capital of the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites), in a bid to further galvanise the peace process.
Abbas's team meanwhile was also preparing for possibly fraught talks with the factions to update them on the outcome of the summit.
While Hamas has been observing an unofficial period of calm, its initial reaction to Abbas's announcement showed that it is far from persuaded by his approach towards Israel.
Abbas's declaration "expresses only the position of the Palestinian Authority. It does not express the position of the Palestinian movements," said Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri.
Despite the possible pitfalls that await the two leaders, the international community was in no doubt about the importance of their talks -- the first time that the two sides' most senior leaders had met in more than four years.
The summit also marked the first ever meeting between Sharon and Mubarak.
The change in atmosphere has also persuaded the United States to immerse itself back in the peace process, with both Sharon and Abbas due to have separate meetings with President George W. Bush (news - web sites) at the White House this spring.
"This is the best chance for peace we are likely to see for years to come -- and we are acting to help Israeli and Palestinians seize this chance," said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), who met both men earlier this week.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) also saw the "announcements to cease violence after four years of death and suffering provide an opportunity for the peace process to resume."
But the summit did nothing to tackle the root causes of decades of bloodshed in the Holy Land, namely the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, the borders of a future Palestinian state and West Bank settlements.
"The point is what happens once the excitement about Sharm el-Sheikh is over," said Palestinian analyst Khader Khader, predicting that "major differences" will quickly emerge.
"watch out" is right jw. 
