(New Republic) Robert Satloff - Elected with a resounding 62% of the vote just six months ago, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas enjoys a mandate to lead, but so far his government has put a higher premium on consensus than leadership. Unfortunately, rule by consensus can never work if the consensus is abused by a few at the expense of the many. Unless Abbas is prodded to use the power of his position to impose - through force, if necessary - the principle of "one authority, one law, one gun," then Palestinian statehood stands no chance. Down the drain too would go the much-prized Palestinian democracy, the nurturing of which has been a signal achievement of the Bush administration.
2005-06-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive