A precious commodity rarely seen in the Middle East seems to be showing its face - hope.
After news of Israel's indirect talks with Syria and the Egyptian-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire, comes an offer by Israel to start direct peace talks with Lebanon.
Israel has said "all issues would be negotiable, including a tiny piece of Israeli-held land on the countries' border that Israel has long argued does not belong to Lebanon but that the Lebanese say is theirs," reports the New York Times.
In the Times, the paper's foreign editor, Richard Beeston, praises Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert for pursuing peace with Hamas, Syria and Lebanon while corruption charges hang over his head.
"Some suspect that making peace is the only way that the prime minister can cling on to power," he writes.
"Whatever his motivation, he has demonstrated that peace can be forged from a position of weakness as easily as from a position of strength."
Israeli blogger, Lirun, a lawyer who lists "peace" among his interests, writes touchingly on East Med Sea Peace: "today the newspaper is weird..sooo much good news..(a) imminent ease of gaza blockade..(b) an invitation by israel to lebanon to talk peace.."
But the optimism does not seem to be shared by the analysts canvassed by the Lebanese paper, the Daily Star.
Typical is the reaction of Simon Haddad. "Olmert is in a difficult situation. He's trying to cover for his failure by having [peace talks] with Syria and Lebanon, knowing in advance that nothing will result from these talks," he says. "It has to do with the reputation and image of Bush. It's convenient for both of them - the Bush team and Olmert." So much for hope...
This is an extended extract from the Wrap, our digest of the daily papers.
