AP Photo

THE NEW round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last week left Washington in a relatively upbeat mood about the chances for a two-state settlement. But the optimism has not spread to the region -- in part because the news in the West Bank has been far less encouraging. In two shooting attacks last week, four Israelis were killed and two others wounded, interrupting what had been nearly three years of peace in the territory. More remarkably, Hamas quickly claimed responsibility for the violence and promised it was only the beginning of a campaign to disrupt the new negotiations.