Saudi Arabia's overture for peace between Israelis and Palestinians is welcome, important, and stunning.
It's welcome because hope otherwise is fading for resolution of the conflict.
For a year and a half, Palestinians have been fighting what they see as their oppressor with the only weapon available to them: furtive violence financed from abroad.
The Israeli government has been responding with targeted military strikes of escalating-and some say unwarranted-intensity.
Since December, the Israeli military has confined Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat to the West Bank town of Ramallah.
If anything, the siege has backfired by restoring Arafat's flagging reputation among Palestinians.
This deadly spiral makes it obvious that the so-called peace process, which was supposed to prevent war, has failed.
So any serious alternative to the status quo revives hope and is welcome for that reason.
The Saudi alternative is especially important because it comes from a country with towering stature in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah sketched out peace principles in an interview with the New York Times.
Essentially, the Arab world would offer normal diplomatic relations to Israel and recognize its right to exist if Israel would withdraw from territories it has occupied since 1967.
An apparently deliberate and important omission from Abdullah's outline is any assertion of the right of return for Palestinians, which Israel sees as a demographic threat to its existence.
Formal introduction of the plan is expected at what promises to be a lively Arab League meeting March 27 in Beirut.
Importance of the Saudi overture is underscored by the high-level attention it has received in Israel, Europe, and the US. Arafat has voiced support.
What's stunning is the sudden show of Saudi leadership.
The bold move is uncharacteristic of a country inclined to conduct international affairs out of public view.
And history suggests that an Arab suggestion of recognition of Israel is not only bold but dangerous as well.
For stepping out of character and taking a risk on behalf of peace, Saudi Arabia has earned a new measure of the world's respect.
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