SIXTY YEARS ago, on Nov. 29, 1948, the United Nations resolved to establish two homelands, one for the Jewish people and one for the Palestinian people.

The Annapolis meeting, which was convened last week, provides a new chance to achieve that vision by building on the opportunities now emerging in the Middle East.

Although there are many reasons to be skeptical when it comes to the prospects of peace in the Middle East, the Israeli government remains firm in its resolve to “give peace a chance.”

The Israeli people and government fully believe in the vision of the two-state solution — Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security — as the only means to end the conflict and the only future for Israel as a Jewish democracy.

New prospects to actualize this vision stem from a realization in the Arab world that Israel is here to stay, as manifested in the “Arab initiative,” which declares willingness to embrace an agreement that will be reached by Israel and the Palestinians.

On the moderate Arab side of the equation, there are new shared objectives with Israel, as well as a sense of urgency to contain the extremism espoused by Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah. Like Israel, the moderate Arab regimes want to prevent the extremists from threatening the stability and future of the Middle East.

The current Palestinian government under Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad is considered by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the best partner we have ever had to create a political outlook towards that vision.

Abbas and Fayyad understand that the Palestinian people will not achieve their deserved statehood through indiscriminate violence and terror, but rather through negotiations.

Despite these aforementioned opportunities, there is indeed a lot of skepticism within the Middle East stemming from years of failed attempts at peacemaking.

There is also serious concern about Abbas’s ability to implement an agreement, as he maintains control of the West Bank, but not of the Gaza strip.

In Israel, there is a deep anxiety that high expectations and lack of sufficient preparation to address the most sensitive issues might lead to another tragedy like the one we faced after Camp David in 2000, when the collapse of peace talks led to egregious violence.

As usual, in the Middle East, there are those who would go to any length to destroy this peace initiative. Iran and its proxies are concerned that positive developments would negate their ability to export the Islamic revolution to the region.

This is no longer an issue of being pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli, but rather a confrontation between those who support peace and those who prefer chaos and bloodshed.

However, the status quo is neither attractive nor sustainable, and we must not allow these obstacles to hinder us from empowering the moderates by providing a political horizon and by moving forward.

We must achieve progress while managing expectations by creating a process in which the meeting in Annapolis will be a new energizing beginning toward peace, if it can’t be the happy ending to the conflict.

It has already been agreed that implementation of any agreement will be based on the benchmarks stipulated by the “Middle East Quartet” in the performance based “Road Map” document that calls on the two sides to carry out concrete measures to increase security and trust.

In the past few weeks leading up to Annapolis, we have seen some measures implemented by both sides that reveal their commitment to the process. Intensive talks between Olmert, Abbas and their teams; the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli government; and the deployment of Palestinian policemen in Nablus all indicate a profound dedication to engaging in significant discussion and resolution.

The international community must support the efforts that are being made by both the Israelis and the moderate Palestinians to improve their fates. We must not allow the process to be hijacked by hatred, intolerance, incitement, or terror.

The moderate Arab countries can assist in the process by participating in the meeting and by endowing Abbas with the legitimacy to take the necessary measures.

Their participation is also important in showing Israelis that there is an acceptance of Israel and a true eagerness to normalize relations, which will help Israelis support tough decisions made by their government.

We need to make an effort to clear the entrenched cynicism that pervades the region so that people in the Middle East will be able to “give peace a chance.”

Nadav Tamir is consul general of Israel to New England.