The meeting yesterday in Jerusalem between Condoleezza Rice, Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas might suggest that the prospect of serious negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians has somewhat improved. But it was also a classic example of the futile circling around the issue of formal recognition of Israel which has inhibited any real movement in this damaged and stalled relationship ever since the emergence of Hamas as a major political force.

The annual report released Wednesday by Peace Now says that approximately 2,000 Israeli settlers are currently living at 102 outposts in the West Bank, while 268,000 Israelis lived in settlements in 2006, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year.