U.S. policy toward Arafat

If he is sidelined, there is still at least a chance that a moderate leader may emerge to lead the Palestinian people on the road to peace. The Israeli policy of expelling him from the West Bank or, as some extremists urge, killing him will make matters far worse.

That was demonstrated when thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in the West Bank and Gaza to declare that they would give their lives to prevent the expulsion of their longtime leader. ...

If Mr. Arafat is killed, as some extremists in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Cabinet, including Mr. Mofaz and Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman, have suggested, he will become a martyr. If he is forcibly taken into exile, Mr. Arafat will be center front on the international stage.

Both possibilities alarmed Secretary of State Colin Powell so much that both he and the White House openly criticized Israel. ...

Israel's interests, as well as those of the Middle East and the world at large, would best be served by isolating Mr. Arafat so that his leadership powers are weakened and his voice muffled. Then rival, moderate voices could be heard by the Palestinian people.

If Israel insists on a policy as dangerous as the expulsion or assassination of President Arafat, the Jewish state would be isolated from world opinion, never mind the possibility that whatever method may be chosen to "remove" him could set the Middle East ablaze.

-- The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina