Mr. Abbas, the new Palestinian leader and by most (but not all ) accounts a much more rational man than his predecessor, has ordered his security forces to stop terrorist attacks on Israel.

It remains to be seen how much their hearts will be in this work, but if they succeed it could be the start of something big -- particularly when taken together with 'Hamas' belated recognition of Israel's 1967 borders and the possibility that they and Islamic Jihad may institute a cease-fire.

And President Bush has made clear he currently believes Mr. Abbas is someone we can work with -- rather like a Palestinian Gorbachev.