As the Israel-Palestinian peace talks at the White House begin, most can tell the meeting between the leaders are uneasy.
Take a look at this photo from the New York Times.
Mr. Abbas and Mr. Netanyahu are obviously uneasy. The half grin by Pres. Abbas and the stern glare of PM Netanyahu create a particularly tense and not so optimistic aurora. Now does this photo tell of what the outcome of these talks are to be? Certainly (and I hope) not. However, it is a early reminder of just how much tension and recent animosity there has been between the Palestine Authority and Israel. I hope that both parties can overcome such obvious tension and reach some sort of agreement (ideally a comprehensive one). If both leaders want their names engraved in the history books as their predecessors, Menachem Begin and Anwar El Sadat, each have to concede maybe a little more than they would like. As one of (if not the most) thorny issue in international politics in the past 70 years, it is going to require sacrifices for a lasting peace. Lets hope the awkward handshake seen in the photo is proven worng through these talks.
On a lighter note, here is another picture from the New York Times which could double like a movie poster, maybe for Reservoir Dogs.
That second photo is certainly one for the history books. I love how NYT convention leads to the caption referring to "Mr Abdullah II" - I'm no royalist, but it seems churlish not to call the king a king.
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