Can Israel and Syria make up?

THE timing, and the general optimism, have taken the world by surprise: Syria and Israel are back again, talking peace. But there is no surprise in the fact that America is once again the broker, and Washington the place. Many times this decade, Israeli and Arab statesmen have traipsed to Washington to try to make peace. As Farouq Sharaa, Syria's foreign minister, and Ehud Barak, Israel's prime minister, settle down to their preliminary talks this week, much will be familiar: the gritted smiles, the talk of historic opportunities and diplomatic breakthroughs. This time, however, the platitudes already ring truer than usual.