Stop, says the superpower

摘要

Strange are the uses of adversity. In a single week of intensive diplomacy after the terror attacks in Washington and New York, America seemed to have pushed Israel and the Palestinians into a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza. On September 18th Yasser Arafat called on the Palestinians to stop shooting, even in their own defence. In return, Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, ordered his army to stop offensive actions against the Palestinians and pull back from its advanced positions. This might, said Shimon Peres, Israel's indefatigable foreign minister, be a "turning-point".