An unexpected turn of events (at least to me), in the current crisis over Corporal Shalit is that the PA government is moving closer to Abbas’ recognition plan.

Via the NYT (Israeli Troops Enter Gaza; Bridges Are Hit):

The prospect of an invasion, threatened by Israel if Corporal Shalit was not released, seemed to have pushed the Palestinians toward agreement after months of internal fighting.

The draft agreement between the Fatah faction of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, and the Hamas faction of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya is based on a document outlined by Palestinian prisoners. It is described as containing an implicit recognition of Israel’s right to exist, because it calls for the creation of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders, presumably next to Israel.

Such an accord would move Hamas closer to recognition of Israel — a significant change — and would raise the possibility of renewed Western aid to the Palestinians, which was severely curtailed after the Hamas victory in January.

If the accord backing what would amount to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is completed, it will represent a victory for Mr. Abbas, who had threatened to put the issue to a referendum next month. But Saeb Erekat, a senior Fatah official close to Mr. Abbas, said that the document was incomplete, and that Mr. Abbas wanted to review it and consult further.

While hardly the magic bullet that cures all the ills of the region, this would be a significant step in the direction of an actual settlement. Of course, the Israelis aren’t going to agree to those borders, but if Hamas actually has to accept the legal idea of Israel, that would be fairly remarkable.

Of course, there are semantic ways to remain recalcitrant:

But Salah al-Bardawil, a Hamas legislator, told Reuters, “We said we accept a state in 1967 — but we did not say we accept two states.”

Mr. Masri said in an interview: “They do exist. It’s tangible, they exist, we recognize the fact they exist. What we don’t recognize is the legitimacy of the occupation.”

And then there’s this:

The draft document also contains a clause that supports armed action against Israel, which it says should be “concentrated” in areas occupied by Israel in 1967 but not limited to them.

Even given the long-standing anger held by many Palestinians, one would think that at some point it would become blatantly obvious that peace is preferable to war–especially a war that the PA cannot win (as the current military skirmish should dramatically underscore). However, this fact seems not to penetrate the minds of many Palestinians leaders, to the disservice of their own people.

This whole situation with the kidnapping of Shalit underscores the disconnect with reality that many Palestinians seem to exist with in regards to what they would like to have happen, and what can happen.