Of all the things that might happen in 2010, peace between Israel and the Palestinians won't be one of them. Any seasonal pledge for peace in the region has to be taken with a large grain of salt. We've been here before.

Remember President Bill Clinton? These are some of the many things he did to try and bring peace to the Middle East:

13 September 1993: Clinton hosts the Oslo accords ceremony at the White House.

4 May 1994: His Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, contributes to the finalising of the Cairo Agreement in an all-night session that leads to the signing of the Gaza-Jericho deal.

26 October 1994: Attends the signing ceremony of the Jordan-Israel peace agreement.

13 March 1996: Attends the Sharm al-Sheikh "peacemakers" summit to rally support for beleaguered Israeli PM Shimon Peres after four horrific terror attacks have undermined his bid for re-election in Israel.

30 April 1996: Hosts Peres in Washington in a high-profile meeting designed to help Peres's election bid.

2 October 1996: Summons Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Jordan's King Hussein to the White House for a two-day emergency summit to quell violence between Israel and the PA.

15-22 October 1998: Hosts a week of talks at the Wye River Plantation.

8 December 1999: Opens Shepherdstown talks between Israeli and Syrian teams.

8 February 1999: Attends King Hussein's funeral in Amman.

27 March 2000: Flies to Geneva to meet the Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in a bid to forge an agreement between Syria and Israel.

12-24 July 2000: Hosts Camp David summit (and delays his departure for the G-8 summit in Japan), giving his active input throughout the talks.

8 October 2000: Sends Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to Paris to help curtail the second intifada.

22 October 2000: Attends the Sharm al-Sheikh summit designed to conclude a ceasefire between Israel and the PA.

23 December 2000: Issues the "Clinton Parameters" for peace in the Middle East.