Even the most moderate leaders on both sides could not agree on the core issues of the conflict: borders, settlements, Jerusalem, and the fate of 1947-1948 Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Both sides had an immediate stake in reaching an agreement: for Olmert, an agreement might have rescued his position as prime minister, and it would have been a trump card for Abbas in Fatah’s de facto civil war with Hamas.
即便是双方最温和的领导人都无法就冲突的一连串核心问题达成和解：边界、定居点、耶路撒冷，还有1947~1948年间的巴勒斯坦难民以及后裔的安置问题。更何况双方都会从协议中得到好处：对奥尔默特来说，这能使其保住总理之位；对阿巴斯来说，这将是他领导的法塔赫在与哈马斯的内斗中的杀手锏。