Mr. Sharon's tanks
Tuesday, September 24, 2002.

MIDDLE EAST

JUST at the moment when Palestinians seemed poised to jettison Yasser Arafat as their leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rode into Ramallah with his tanks and bulldozers.

Mr. Sharon's impatience to rid himself of his old nemesis has backfired in several ways. It roused Palestinians to come to Mr. Arafat's aid. It called into question Mr. Sharon's commitment to peace. And it complicated President George W. Bush's effort to line up support for a move against Iraq. Belatedly, the White House branded Mr. Sharon's assault on Mr. Arafat's compound as "not helpful." Late Monday, the administration went a step further and introduced a resolution in the United Nations calling on Israel to stop demolishing Mr. Arafat's compound.

Mr. Arafat is a deeply flawed leader. He missed a historic opportunity to negotiate a peace and create a Palestinian state at the end of the Clinton administration. A wing of his Fatah organization, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, carried out suicide bombings during the past year. The Palestinian Authority was caught red-handed bringing in illegal weapons from Iran. Mr. Arafat's promises to crack down on terrorism have almost always proven illusory. And Palestinians themselves have grown dissatisfied with his corruption and long years of daily hardships and violence.

Mr. Arafat has boasted recently that he signed the "peace of the brave" after Oslo. But he has long since proven that, when it comes to a lasting peace, he is a coward.

Of course Mr. Sharon wants Mr. Arafat gone. But his move against Mr. Arafat's compound has predictably created a pro-Arafat backlash among Palestinians, and aroused sympathy abroad. Earlier this month, Mr. Arafat's cabinet had to resign after the Palestinian parliament threatened a no-confidence vote. That seemed to be a step toward reforming the Palestinian Authority and possibly shifting Mr. Arafat to a role as titular head of state. Only Mr. Sharon's tanks could have brought Palestinians out into the street to support Mr. Arafat -- and Mr. Sharon complied.

Mr. Sharon believes that his tough military response to the wave of Palestinian terrorism is responsible for the shift in Palestinian opinion away from Mr. Arafat and the use of terrorism to win a Palestinian state. He may be partly right. But a military response isn't always the answer.

Just as Mr. Arafat was tested during the 2000-2001 peace talks and found wanting, Mr. Sharon is now being tested. His attack on Mr. Arafat's compound, and his refusal to pursue peace initiatives during the lull before last week's suicide bombings, are two more signs that Mr. Sharon may not have what it takes to build peace.

Many American supporters of Israel had hoped that Mr. Sharon would be the Nixon who went to China or the Menachem Begin who made peace with Egypt. It's still possible. But it won't happen until Mr. Sharon decides to trust in something other than a tank.

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