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Don't Fall in Love With Abbas Yet
(Los Angeles Times) Max Boot - Life in Israel has returned to normal, or at least as normal as it ever gets in a country that has faced threats to its existence from day one. Conventional wisdom holds that it is almost impossible for a democracy to defeat a determined insurgency - an impression strengthened by recent events in Iraq. Israel provides a contrary case. Even if Abbas genuinely believes in peaceful coexistence, it is not clear that he has the will or the power to repress militants who want to drive the Jews into the sea. It would be a mistake for the West to embrace Abbas in a bearhug - the same mistake that was made with Arafat in the 1990s. What's needed now is not another Palestinian strongman puffed up by the West, but a vibrant Palestinian democracy with a multitude of leaders.