The Israelis and Palestinians are at war again. What had struck us as amazing -- that Hamas was even considering a cease-fire -- has turned into short-lived amazement.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is back on its normal track -- toward disaster. The weekend attack by Palestinians on Israeli troops was answered by an Israeli assassination attempt on Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, which wounded him, killed an aide and a woman bystander and wounded about 20 other people.

An American was killed near the Syrian border in Iraq, and there was fighting again in Al Fallujah. That brings to 29 the number of U.S. troops killed since the major fighting has ended. The deaths also have driven home the fact that there is an organized and capable guerrilla operation under way in Iraq.

The honeymoon after the Aqaba summit has been short. Three Palestinians attacked an Israeli army post near the Erez crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Sunday. Four Israelis soldiers were killed as were the three attackers. This followed the killing of a Palestinian in Gaza on Saturday.

As U.S. George W. Bush heads to the Middle East to begin a round of critical meetings, it is useful to pause and reflect on the driving force behind these meetings: al Qaeda. In early April, we stated that this quarter would represent the greatest risk for al Qaeda attacks since Sept. 11.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, in a Vanity Fair interview, said the public justification for the invasion of Iraq was not primarily based on the fear of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and several others wounded in attacks on U.S. convoys in Iraq on Monday. The first incident occurred near the town of Haditha, about 110 miles northwest of Baghdad. Attackers fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at a column of the 3rd Armored Cavalry regiment.

The level of tension over potential al Qaeda attacks soared today. The United States raised its security status to orange, one notch below the top, returning it to the same level seen during the war in Iraq. The Europeans also are on alert for attack.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process suffered its inevitable collapse as the suicide bombing campaign continued. The problem is now twofold. First, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of controlling the behavior of Hamas. Second, the Israelis do not have the ability to stop Hamas militarily.

U.S. leaders fired a salvo of criticisms at Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. White House officials leaked the fact that they had sent Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley to Riyadh last week to warn the Saudis of an imminent attack. The U.S.