|
Trending Topics
|
Mideast Peace Depends on Arafat Ouster
(Newsday) - Michael Mandelbaum The endlessly debated question of whether Sharon is genuinely committed to the eventual creation of a Palestinian state is beside the point. Polls show that a large majority of Israelis would like to end the conflict with the Palestinians, are willing to allow the establishment of such a state and would relinquish territory now controlled by Israel to make this possible if the Palestinians are, for their part, ready to accept and live peacefully beside Israel. What, then, will persuade the Israeli public that the Palestinians are prepared to end the conflict? A serious effort to put a stop to terror against Israel is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. The end of Arafat's almost 40-year reign as the Palestinian leader will also be required. Arafat is an unacceptable Palestinian leader to Israelis because he has used his position, despite the solemn commitment to peace that he made in the Oslo accords of 1993, to wage war against Israel.