Sink or swim

[ForestsBeatBushes]

1. Starting over

Three weeks ago, the reckoning in Israel was that on November 4 there would be a change in the Palestinian Authority: Either Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) would manage to put together a new government that would have the armed forces in the West Bank and Gaza completely subordinate to its authority; or he would resign and leave the affairs of the PA in the hands of Yasser Arafat alone.

If the first scenario took place, said senior officials at the center of policy-making toward the Palestinians, a process would ensue, leading to a cease-fire and a basic, fundamental change in the status of the conflict. If the second scenario materialized, the PA would totally collapse, because Arafat would cause the situation to deteriorate and, with his own hands, dig his grave as a legitimate leader. In the background, it should be remembered that there were reports about Arafat's declining health, which breathed hope into the hearts of the Israeli leadership.


<and continue>

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/358106.html