Part analysis, part first-hand account, this assessment of Yasir Arafat’s leadership of the Palestinian movement emphasizes the dual nature of his persona: guerilla fighter and political pragmatist. With anecdotes drawn from his close association with Arafat dating back to the 1968 Battle of Karameh, the author attempts to untangle the Palestinian leader’s mixed legacy over […]

Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) finds himself stuck between the modest and fair Palestinians demands and U.S.-supported Israeli rejection once again; exactly as happened in 2003 when he headed the first Palestinian government. After Arafat’s passing, Sharon welcomed the election of Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority (PA). At the time, the optimists on the […]

Sharon’s disengagement plan had many international and regional corollaries that will leave fingerprints on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the situation in the region. This plan agitated the Israeli political regime and affected Sharon’s political and moral standing; as he is paying for the price of disregarding his Party and his allies before going to Washington […]

The joint press conference held by the U.S. President Bush with the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon on April 14 generated a storm of reactions on the regional and international political scenes. Bush’s official statement was characterized by honesty and clarity. Bush declared an unprecedented new American position toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It went beyond the […]

After three years in power, Sharon said in an interview to Ha’aretz what seemed to be the contradiction of his previous disposition regarding the settlements in Gaza. He stressed that he had asked his advisors to study the consequences of the evacuation of 7,500 settlers living in 17 of 21 settlements in Gaza. In closed […]