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Abbas's Mission

(Beirut Daily Star) Robert Malley and Hussein Agha - Mahmoud Abbas looks around him and sees Palestinian land thoroughly reoccupied by Israel, the Palestinian Authority destroyed, widespread economic distress and political mayhem. Practically anyone can acquire a gun and claim to make policy by showing it off. This is not resistance, but rather anarchy. All of this, too, is happening without the world's lifting a finger, with the Israeli peace camp silent, with the Arabs indifferent. In the court of international official opinion, the Palestinians have lost the moral high ground so patiently acquired over the years. The last two-and-a-half years, Abbas is convinced, have been disastrous for the Palestinians. Israel has its weaknesses, Abbas believes, but they are not of a military sort. Rather, they lie in the country's internal contradictions and in the contradictions inherent in its relations with the U.S. Negotiations and diplomacy will exacerbate and expose both, driving a wedge within Israel and between Jerusalem and Washington. Not so long ago, at his ranch, Sharon spoke openly to Abu Mazen about his vision of the future. Neither people, Sharon said, are ready for a final deal. Too much divides us, but we modestly ought to do what we can. Whatever remains, we must leave to other generations to sort out.
2003-08-01 00:00:00
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