In one respect, at least, the coming round of Middle East peace talks breaks new ground. Grand White House dinners with Arab and Israeli leaders as the principal guests have usually been held to celebrate some negotiating achievement like the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. Next week's, by contrast. will take place not at the end but at the beginning of the new round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Cynics – and there are plenty of those among Israelis and Palestinians at present – might be forgiven for wondering not only whether such a gathering has any purpose beyond US domestic politics, but also whether it will represent the high water mark of the negotiations it is supposed to launch.
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