Is Yasser Arafat irrelevant?
Even if he is, Israel needs to deal with him until a moderate successor rather than some terrorist leader steps forward. If there is such a thing as a moderate, reliable, courageous Palestinian leader waiting in the wings to succeed Yasser Arafat, there’s no time like the present for him or her to speak up. Unfortunately for Palestinians and Israelis alike, such a person does not appear to exist. That means, until one steps forward, or until Israel, the Palestinians, the United States and the Arab world figure out a way to move peacefully from Arafat to new leadership, the discredited head of the Palestinian Authority probably has to be regarded, at least nominally, as someone to be consulted in the quest for peace. After all, with his own Fatah group in decline with him, the only visible alternatives to Arafat right now among Palestinians are the leaders of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist groups. Peace with Israel is the last thing they want. They’d much rather wage a fullscale
