The death of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat
leaves the Middle East ““ and the U.S. war on terror ““
at a historic crossroads. Now the United States must use its power
to push the peace process forward. What follows Arafat’s
death will be remembered either as a tragic missed opportunity or
as the dawn of a new era of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Arafat is no less controversial in death than he was in life:
Some remember Arafat as the chief Palestinian terrorist, while
others celebrate him as a hero and father of the Palestinian
nation.
But Arafat is gone, and arguments about his legacy should not be
the top priority of those who care about either Israel or
Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority has only 60 days to elect a new
president, and that choice will largely determine the future of the
peace process.
The selection of a moderate person willing to work with the
Israeli government is a necessary condition if there is any hope of
a peaceful two-state solution.
Once a new leader is elected (or selected), the next move will
be up to a handful of world leaders, including President Bush,
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Blair knows how important peace in the Middle East is to the
stability of the world in general. He is flying to Washington next
Thursday for talks with Bush, and said on Thursday that
“peace in the Middle East must be the international
community’s highest priority.”
Iranian nuclear ambitions, al-Qaeda recruitment and religious
fundamentalists all feed off the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Bringing peace to Israel and the Palestinian territory will make
the entire world safer, and is perhaps a more important goal than
subduing Iraq.
And working toward peace is not the same as rewarding
terrorists. There is a difference between giving in to the demands
of Osama bin Ladin and finding moderate partners who are willing to
compromise.
But finding such a Palestinian leader is only the first
step.
The support of the United States is the linchpin of any serious
peace effort. It is the strongest ally of Israel and everyone
involved knows that there will never be a resolution without U.S.
intervention.
The 2003 U.S. “road map” was off track almost as
soon as it was unveiled, and the United States did nothing in
response.
The world should hope that Bush takes this situation as
seriously as Blair does.
The UCLA campus might seem far from the conflict, but it is up
to people here in the United States to make Middle East peace a
priority. People must still be talking about it even after CNN has
stopped its “special coverage” of Arafat’s death.
And students must not underestimate the power of their voice.
Now that Bush has won re-election, he can afford to take a few
chances to force a resolution on sensitive issues such as the West
Bank and the right of return.
Israelis and Palestinians have fought each other for over 50
years, and the world cannot afford to allow that fight to continue
for another 50.