ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS EACH MADE MAJOR COMPROMISES FOR PACT. Before I click on the link on The Washington Post website, I didn't know what this was referring to either. The date on the article is September 12, 1993 and the topic, of course is Oslo.

I read the article not so much observing how misplaced the optimism was as looking for clues for the impending failure. Some were obvious:

While PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat declared this week that "soon the Palestinian flag will fly on the walls, the minarets and the cathedrals of Jerusalem," the agreement provides otherwise: Jerusalem will not be under Palestinian self-rule authority. However, Palestinians living there can participate in the council election.

I read the article--with the benefit of hindsight and memories of the optimism--and one thought dominates: What were they thinking?

For that matter, I don't know what they are thinking now either.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Oslo Accords and Yasser Arafat and Palestinians.