Yes, but...
Reader comment on item: Throwing out the [Arab-Israeli] Rulebook

Submitted by Adrian Winterfield (United States), Jun 17, 2003 at 14:59

Item: The Road Map and the Quartet
While the president is certainly the lead tenor, at least in principle, he is not performing an a capella solo. What timetable?

Item: Role of Arafat.
Physical absence from talks is not the same a absence of influence.

Item: Role of the president.
No other president has been able to approach the Palestine/Israel situation at the CIC of forces that have just liberated (sic) millions.

It would be extraordinary if his role were not different
However, sonorous phrases and photo ops is not precisely the same as participation at extended negotiating sessions.
It remains to be seen whether hard work and sincerity will prevail.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.