At nightfall in the marble palace of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, an unusual gathering of Middle Eastern leaders sat down for iftar, the meal that breaks the daylong Muslim fast during the holy month of Ramadan. It is traditionally shared with family and close friends, but at Mubarak's side were not only Jordan's King Hussein and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, but Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as well. His inclusion was meant to show a new level of acceptance for Israel among the Arab leaders who have signed formal peace agreements with the country.
What really brought the...
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