Opening the agenda will be James Wolffenssohn, newly appointed Quartet envoy for Israeli pullout from the Gaza strip and a part of the West Bank, and for Palestinian economic rehabilitation. He will tell the gathering about his maiden visit to the area.
Russian diplomats will take the floor next to sum up President Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the Middle East. They and their Western colleagues will discuss Mr. Putin's initiative for a high-level international conference on Middle East settlement, tentatively to gather next autumn, with Moscow for venue.
The mediators will take stock of what they can do in major events upcoming in the conflict zone. To ensure that Israel leaves the Gaza strip in full dignity is what matters most for today to the conflicting parties and the mediators alike. The pullout is to open the way to go on with implementing the Road Map, as the Quartet has blueprinted it, says Alexander Saltykov, Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Every possible effort must be made to prevent Israeli settlers shot in the back as they leave the occupied Palestinian lands, and to rule out a power vacuum in the places they vacate, diplomats point out to Novosti.
Israelis have never before left the Palestinian lands they occupy. The Palestinian Authority, unstable as it is, has never before overtaken those lands. Israel has never before come to the brink of a bad public split, if not civil warfare. No one has the slightest idea of what turn the evacuation may take. True, every technical provision has been made long beforehand-but what is to become of abandoned homes and lovingly groomed farms? What will be Israeli and Palestinian public response? Closely depending on all that will be the conflicting parties' goodwill for further settlement.
Meanwhile, Palestinians are crowing victory, while Israelis see the impending pullout from the Gaza strip as a tragedy. Evacuation is not a concession but a safety prerequisite, and no more retreats are ahead. These reassurances came to the public from the Israeli top more than once.
As for Palestinians, they will never put up with half-measures, and are dead set on the 1967 frontiers recognized. Mahmoud Abbas, National Authority leader, said so a few days ago to repeat what was said time and again before.
Russia is calling both sides to meet each other halfway, be it on territorial or any other issues-but compromises won't work with Palestine and Israel alike, at least for the time being.
How to tie in Jewish settlers leaving the Gaza strip with implementing the Road Map? To all appearances, debates on that score will dominate Quartet sessions for a long time ahead.
