For many years, whenever we referred to the Middle East problem, we mainly thought of the Israeli-Arab conflict, which no doubt has been the major issue in the area. The same is true today, when we talk about the Middle East peace process. What we usually mean when we use this term is the peace process involving Israel and the Palestinians which has made considerable progress despite the existing difficulties , Israel and Jordan which has led to the restoration of good relations , and Israel and Syria which hopefully will develop into a substantial dialogue .