Abbas after Arafat!
By the Editor

TRUE to every pragmatic expectation, the Chairman of PLO Mahmud Abbas has won landslide victory in the Presidential election in Palestine on Sunday with two-thirds of votes cast.

As the reports say Abbas polled 70 per cent votes while his closest rival independent candidate Mustafa Barghuri, secured 18 per cent votes.

Israel has welcomed the result saying that victory of moderate Abbas will usher in a new era of peace.

Middle East is once again on a crossroads since the election of Mehmud Abbas as Palestine’s President will expose Israel to new international pressures.

Unlike Yasser Arafat, Abbas is a moderate leader with whom US and Israel should have no problem to deal.

It’s encouraging that Israel has welcomed the election result with the hope that it will usher in a new era of peace in the Middle East.

The scenario should lead to the resumption of Palestine-Israel talks for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian State existing within its secure borders alongside Israel as a durable solution to the Middle East crisis.

There should be no excuse on the part of Washington and Tel Aviv vis-à-vis this aspect now that Yasser Arafat has gone and a new and moderate Palestinian leader has emerged in Mehmud Abbas.

As a matter of fact and with a rationale approach, he US and Israel should rather grab this opportunity to resolve the long-standing Palestinian issue, which is the root cause of worldwide terrorism.

The international community, therefore, expects Israel to take urgent initiative to enter into the dialogue process to settle the festering dispute.

Tel Aviv’s clandestine agenda of Greater Israel is, of course, a source of pessimism despite emergence of the moderate Palestinian leadership.

Yet there is a hope for a better future for Palestinians, though there is no room for exuberance.

Palestinians have suffered long due to Israeli occupation, since they are not only being forced to live in refugee camps on their soil, but are also being subjected to death and destruction by Israel on a regular basis.

The international community, especially the US, European Union and permanent members of the UN Security Council should, therefore, exert their influence on Israel to resolve the Palestinian issue through dialogue with the new Palestinian leadership.

Israel ought to be mindful that it will be difficult for her to live in peace, if it would not let the Palestinians live in peace in their own sovereign State.

It’s, therefore, in Israel’s own interest to create congenial environment for early establishment of the Palestinian State.●