THE ROAD GOES ON AND ON

The Crumbling Mideast Cease-Fire (NY Times, 8/22/03)

Mr. Sharon must realize that there is no alternative to Mr. Abbas, who is committed to a peaceful two-state solution. If Mr. Abbas is forced from power, it will probably be awhile before anyone else will step forward. That could be the end of the road map -- and the road -- for quite some time.

That's the kind of nonsense you're forced to say if you think that negotiations matter. In fact, Mr. Abbas is certainly just a temporary figure, who will almost inevitably be assassinated by Palestinian hard-liners at some point. Nothing about internal Palestinian politics will have any effect on the final destination of the Road Map. The only thing that can prevent Palestinian statehood from coming fairly quickly is Ariel Sharon's replacement by a leader of lesser vision, one who thinks Israel can oppress a majority Palestinian population without suffering catastrophic consequences. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 22, 2003 9:23 AM