Word: arafats
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...premise of Samuel Beckett's play is that Godot never arrives--an analogy that until recently seemed particularly apt for the Middle East. Now, however, Rabin and Arafat must deal with a situation that demands more than just endless talk...
Americans unaware of recent events might have been excused for thinking that the photos from the White House lawn were part of some weird Monty Python sketch. Yasser Arafat, whose most recent political allegiance was with Saddam Hussein, being hugged by Bill Clinton? Yitzhak Rabin, who as Minister of Defense six years ago initiated Israel's hard-line response to the Intifadah, shaking Arafat's hand? It all seemed a bit unreal, as if Godot had suddenly appeared to Vladimir and Estragon...
...Arafat's last practical experience as the ruler of anything was in the refugee camps of Lebanon before the 1982 Israeli invasion. Some of his opponents argue that Arafat's prolonged exile in Tunis has left him detached from the day to day problems faced by Palestinians still living in the West Bank and Gaza. The Intifadah, a significant force behind Israel's decision to negotiate with the P.L.O., began locally and spontaneously--not as a strategy handed down from the leaders of the P.L.O. And as the P.L.O.'s financial resources dwindled in the aftermath of its support...
...first major challenge to Arafat's authority will come from the Hamas strongholds around Nablus and Hebron, the second will come from East Jerusalem. The one thing Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin may have in common is their age. And when observers consider the next generation of Palestinian leadership, they look less to the group in Tunis than they do to Faisal al-Husseini, Sari Nusseibah and other West Bank establishment figures. They too have developed influence and authority within the territories in Arafat's absence. If Arafat is slow to deliver on his promises or seems unable to govern...
...YASSER ARAFAT...