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On the Verge of a Turning Point?
(Jerusalem Post) Barry Rubin - Was Arafat's removal really the start of a new era in which peace is possible in a relatively short time? If something new and big is happening, one could attribute it to the deaths of Arafat and Hamas leader sheikh Ahmed Yassin; the Palestinians' recognition that they have lost the war; their economic prostration; and surviving leaders' fear that Israel might kill them. In other words, it would be a triumph for pragmatism and a clear understanding of the balance of forces, of the foolishness and high cost of warring on for total victory. Yet what is lacking so far is the same factor that was missing in Oslo. There has still been no serious discussion publicly or privately in which the Palestinian leadership reconsiders its most basic ideas. On the contrary, the old rhetoric is being repeated frequently. No moderate viewpoint is being communicated to the masses, as it is to the West. There is a clear difference between what is said in English and what is said in Arabic. Marwan Barghouti's candidacy to lead the PA will force the Fatah establishment to match his militant rhetoric.