Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday he would take advantage of a “new era of peace and hope”

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday he would take advantage of a “new era of peace and hope” to prove to Israel he is serious about implementing the reforms needed to resume peace talks and bring about Palestinian statehood. Ending his first visit to Western Europe since his election in January, Abbas said he was satisfied with the strong backing shown by the European Union and the world community. “Now we are talking about a new era of peace and hope,” Abbas told reporters at EU headquarters. “I hope this support will continue. ... Let’s be optimistic.” In contrast to Yasser Arafat, who was shunned by Israel and the United States in recent years, Abbas is embraced as a moderate who genuinely wants to end the fighting that broke out in 2000, derailing a peace effort that had appeared close to establishing a Palestinian state. The current Israeli government of Ariel Sharon seems unlikely to repeat the far-reaching territorial offers that were on the table then, and trust between the two peoples has eroded significantly.