The government's position is correct: The Palestinian government must recognize Israel, honor written agreements and end all terrorist activity. However, this position does not rule out negotiations. Channels of negotiation are an effective tool for overcoming crises and obstacles and preventing needless suffering. In the process of a controlled, continual and genuine dialogue with moderate Palestinians, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), progress can and should be made toward a permanent settlement based on the "two states for two nations" principle.

A dialogue must be launched with those not bent on annihilating us, a category that most Palestinians fall into. After all, the Palestine Liberation Organization signed all the agreements with Israel and still honors them today. Most Israelis, like most Palestinians, hope the conflict between the two peoples will end with a permanent settlement. The problems lying at the heart of the conflict will not solve themselves and the price Israel will have to pay for a solution is constantly rising.

Ultimately, every political initiative leads to the same fundamental elements of a permanent settlement. Thus, it can be assumed that the guiding principles for a dialogue will largely be based on the permanent solutions that were being discussed seven years ago, before the Camp David peace summit - and today, seven years after it; they constitute a fair, balanced, reasonable historic compromise.

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A good starting point for talks on a permanent settlement would blend former American president Bill Clinton's plan of December 2000 with a draft agreement the parties discussed between 1999 and 2001. These proposed permanent solutions were the products of intensive talks between the parties; they constitute a semi-official, stable, objective basis for protecting Israel's long-range interests without ignoring those of the Palestinians.

Here are the main components of these plans: