Who are the Palestinian and Israeli leaders?
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, has a military and political track record which suggests a militant and uncompromising position on virtually all issues which continue to divide the two sides. However, in response to the most recent initiatives, he has been far less inflexible. He uncharacteristically has referred to the Israeli control of Palestinian territories as an occupation and has indicated a willingness to withdraw settlements. In February 2004, he announced his intention to unilaterally withdraw settlements from the Gaza strip. And after the death of Arafat, he has demonstrated a willingness to work with the new Palestinian leadership. Until his recent death, the Palestinian Authority was under the firm control of Yasser Arafat who by most accounts was less conciliatory than Israeli Prime Minister Barak at the 1999 Camp David peace negotiations. What are the backgrounds of Arafat and Sharon? Yasser Arafat was born in 1929 to a successful merchant father and a religiou
