It was not only the bombs that derailed the Middle East peace process. Even before then, the omissions of the Oslo Accords, the refusal to talk to Hamas when the chance offered and the reluctance of Israel to treat on the hard questions, had slowed down negotiations on a peace many Palestinians felt left them worse off than ever. Now, Shimon Peres's brutal bombardment of Lebanon has removed peace from the domestic agenda. It may have improved Peres's credibility with the Israeli electorate; It also risks driving more Palestinians into the arms of Hamas
