(Ha'aretz) Moshe Arens - The negotiations between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas will not be anything like the negotiations with Yasser Arafat, who had the support of almost all Palestinians. Abbas does not have the authority to carry out any agreement he might arrive at with Netanyahu. Maybe the Americans think that enough financial support for Abbas will eventually provide him with both the legitimacy and authority he lacks. But the American largesse and American pressure that have brought him to the negotiating table have made him look like an American puppet. Arafat could have made peace with Israel, but he did not want to. Abbas may or might not want to conclude a peace with Israel, but he cannot.
2010-09-02 10:44:58Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive