Arafat and beyond: the attainment of peace

A toast to the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat! He was a man whose life has been a litany of obstructionism and violence, and who has stayed alive these past few years purely out of spite and anti-Semitism.

Here's to the biggest step forward in Israeli-Palestinian relations in 50 years.

Over many years, Israeli prime ministers of all different stripes came forward to try different approaches to peace with the Palestinians. Some were more stick than carrot, and others were conciliatory to a degree that infuriated their constituents. All of them failed. The only variable that never changed was Arafat, who would speak publicly about the need for peace and reconciliation while quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) supporting terrorist groups like Hamas. This unchanging approach towards Israel was indicative of Arafat's true goal, which has been attested to by his actions; he wanted nothing more than the complete removal of the Israelis from the Middle East.

Now that there is an opportunity for the Palestinians to have a changing of the guard, perhaps we may see real progress towards peace. All of Arafat's potential replacements have a more moderate, pragmatic bent to their dialogue. Since elections must be held within 60 days after Arafat's death, someone will be selected to lead between now and Jan. 9.

A rising star amongst them was Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas was a leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and played second fiddle only to Arafat himself in the ranks of the PLO. His biggest claim to international fame is that he was, briefly, the first Palestinian prime minister. Appointed by Arafat and widely hoped to be the man to help usher in a new era in Israeli-Palestinian relations, he found his four-month tenure to be an exercise in futility. He continually fought with Arafat, who was never quite capable of letting go of the reins of power. Hamstrung by the obstreperous Arafat, Abbas quickly resigned. He is now heading the PLO, and with any luck, will be able to unite enough of the diverse interests represented there to produce a consensus that will lead towards peace.

While the ability to put ‘Palestinian Prime Minister' on his curriculum vitae certainly gives Abbas real credibility, he faces opposition from certain elements among the tremendously fractious Palestinian people. The voices of moderation are often silent, and opposition tends to respond with guns. This was in evidence this weekend, when an attempt was made on his life while he was paying his respects to the deceased Arafat.

Another potential leader is Ahmed Qurei. Prime Minister since September 2003, he is holding down the fort at the Palestinian Authority, the regional governing body. Qurei is a reasonable prospect to lead the Palestinians, and has a record of sensibility and willingness to compromise, as demonstrated by his close involvement in the negotiations leading up to the 1993 Oslo peace accord.

He also repeatedly irritated Arafat by being his own man during his ongoing tenure as prime minister. On the popular front, despite his current residency in an Israeli jail (he should be out sometime in 2350, after serving all five consecutive life sentences), is Marwan Barghouti. His ‘moderate' credentials spring from his strong support of the Oslo accord, and his opposition to the Palestinian attacks on Israeli citizens who were on Israeli land. He has also expressed strong support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's ongoing Gaza pullout. However, this must be tempered with the fact that he has gained a sharper, more militant edge since the start of the current intifada in 2000.

Additionally, his election would cause an incredibly delicate situation for the Israelis. What to do with a prisoner who has just been elected Prime Minister? While Barghouti holds the greatest popular appeal, both Abbas and Qurei show greater moderate tendencies. They both seem likely to promote a reasonable agreement with Israel, and have demonstrated their willingness to compromise. The one downside to this is that being a moderate leader can get you shot. We can only hope that voices of peace will prevail, and the era beyond Arafat will be more productive.

Daniel Savino is a fifth year chemistry major.