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--> --> Arafat has run out of choices as peacemaker The (Eugene) Register-Guard Dec. 5 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has run out of excuses. He has two choices at this point: Choice One: Use whatever authority he claims to have among Palestinians to dismantle the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, jail the masterminds behind the series of suicide bombings in Israel and show the world that he genuinely wants peace between his people and the Israelis. Choice Two: Step aside and let someone in the Palestinian movement who desires an end to the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed to assume the mantle of authority and pursue peace with the kind of vigor and determination that Arafat has steadfastly avoided. The events of the past few days underscore the urgent need for the killing to end on both sides and for attempts at a permanent peace to resume. The first question: Can he really control the Palestinian terrorists? If he can, he must, or he will be seen as what many are already painting him to be: an ineffectual, dillydallying glory-seeker. If he can't control Hamas and Islamic Jihad, he should step aside - now - to give the peace process any hope of resuming, much less succeeding. If Arafat can in fact control the terrorists in his own camp and is choosing not to, he's what many Israelis already consider him: an accomplice. At a minimum, if he is ever to reacquire any credentials as a Nobel peacemaker, Arafat must take decisive action to use his police force to identify and shatter all Hamas/Jihad terrorist groups, arrest and prosecute their leaders, and confiscate the multitude of illegal weapons now widely available within the Palestinian population.If Arafat can - and will - carry out these measures, Israel would have no reason not to consider him able to negotiate peace terms. In addition, if Arafat opts for a tougher and genuine stance against terrorists within his own groups, Israel could offer its own strides toward peace by freezing Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, with the ultimate goal of dismantling the settlements already in place. But it all begins with Arafat and his willingness to choose peace over terrorism. Which choice he makes carries with it the doves of peace or the sabers of war. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing