Big mistake

Olmert offers Palestinians concessions for peace.

''We, the state of Israel, will agree to the evacuation of many territories and the settlements that we built there. This is extremely difficult for us, like the splitting of the Red Sea. We will do it for real peace,'' he said.

He said that if the Palestinians establish a new government committed to carrying out the U.S.-backed ''road map'' peace plan and securing the release of a captured Israeli soldier, then he would call for an immediate meeting with Abbas ''to have a real, open, honest, serious dialogue between us.''

Olmert said that Israel planned to release ''many Palestinian prisoners,'' including those serving long sentences, as a trust-building measure after Palestinian militants freed the captured soldier alive and healthy.

What has changed since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit that makes Olmert believe the Palestinians would start behaving themselves? And they've been doing a bang up job of killing each other, too.