The dangers of leaving it to Sharon

摘要

Declaring himself "disappointed", George Bushis on the brink of casting Yasser Arafat to the wolves. The president has reason to feel fed up with somebody who either cannot or will not control his men of violence. But President Bush should ask himself three questions. Are the wolves who want to gobble up Mr Arafat, in this case the hardliners in Ariel Sharon's government, motivated by the desire for a political solution, or the reverse? Would Mr Arafat's disappearance lead to less violence, or more? Above all, what will be the repercussions in the wider Arab world if the United States is found guilty of aiding and abetting Israel in the devastation of the Palestinian entity? The last straw for the Americans seems to have been the evidence that Mr Arafat, or at least men close to him, have been involved in an attempt to smuggle arms. Mr Bush has reproached him for "enhancing terror", and American officials have hinted that diplomatic relations with his Palestinian Authority may be cut. Mr Arafat is already about as isolated as he can be. He is imprisoned in his Ramallah office by Israeli tanks, the Americans refuse to talk to him, and there is no sign of Anthony Zinni, America's special envoy, returning to the region. The Palestinians plead for his mediation to be renewed but the Americans, these days, stonily repeat Mr Sharon's mantra that, first, there has to be an end to all Palestinian violence.