What does Mubarak want?

The president of Egypt this weekend warned that any concessions over Jerusalem could make the region explode in a wave of Islamic violence. But in the same interview (Egyptian leader Hosni) Mubarak says that if Arafat is asked to make a concession on Jerusalem, Egypt won't stand in his way. If Arafat is the exclusive authority for negotiating over Jerusalem, they (Arab leaders, and especially Mubarak) should await the results of the negotiations. If Mubarak and his colleagues are convinced that Arafat should be stripped of that authority, let them say so and propose transferring the negotiations over Jerusalem to Cairo or any other Arab venue, without holding up the process with the Palestinians.

It is reasonable to expect that Arab leaders, especially those who signed peace agreements with Israel, would help move the peace process forward. If they can't come up with a formula to solve the Jerusalem problem, it would be best if they didn't threaten the one person who has the authority to do so.

-- Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv