“While Washington might be abuzz with the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks today after a nearly two-year hiatus, only 1 in 3 Palestinians support the negotiations according to a late August poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. Though the 17-year-old peace process has yielded trappings of self-rule amid Israel’s military occupation, Palestinians have largely lost hope that summits such as this week’s in Washington can deliver on their ultimate goal of Palestinian statehood. While a majority oppose the armed uprising Hamas has been calling for, pervasive apathy and distrust here highlight the more intangible barriers that Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike must overcome — in addition to final status issues such as Jerusalem, borders and refugees.” (09/02/10)