Leading article: A glimmer of hope

Yesterday's deal to open up the borders of the Gaza strip, two months after the Israeli withdrawal, has the potential to provide a welcome boost to the Palestinian economy. At the moment Gaza is in a desperate condition. This narrow strip of territory is riven by massive levels of unemployment and widespread poverty. Now that trucks and buses are to be allowed in and out of the territory - albeit with restrictions - its economic fortunes should improve.

Countless international conferences called to consider the plight of the Palestinians have focused in the past on aid. But this ignores the central problem. There is no shortage of Palestinians with entrepreneurial and business skills either in Gaza or the West Bank. The problem is that these people cannot operate properly in what the international envoy to the region, James Wolfensohn, has compared to a "giant prison". Opening Gaza's borders should bring it closer to economic normality.

Before the first intifada, the Palestinian economy was closely entwined with that of Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians worked in Israel or were employed in sectors that directly supplied the Israeli economy. Now the conditions are there for those connections to be rebuilt.

This will not be easy - and much can still go wrong. If the Palestinians are to attract foreign investment they must stamp out the corruption prevalent in the West Bank and Gaza. They must also act to prevent arms being brought over the newly opened borders.

As for the Israeli government, it must resist the temptation to shut the borders at the first provocation from militants. Israel, of course, has justified security concerns. But the Israeli government must accept that security is not only about physical precautions. To many Palestinians the greatest frustration in their lives is not the occupation, but the lack of employment prospects. They are drawn into militancy through despair and resentment. A more economically stable Gaza strip will make Israel itself more secure.

There are also short-term political reasons why it is in the Israeli interest to make this deal work. The easing of the atmosphere of economic hopelessness in Gaza will boost Mahmoud Abbas's chances of defeating Hamas in January's elections. The Palestinian leader will be able to point to concrete gains from September's Gaza withdrawal.

Otherwise, the narrative espoused by militant groups such as Hamas - that Israel was driven out of Gaza by terror - will stand unopposed. Such an outcome would be in the interests of neither the Palestinian nor the Israeli people.