Arafat is back in business, but Saudis are running the show
Brian WhitakerThursday May 2, 2002Yasser Arafat, the survivor of numerous assassination attempts, a car write-off, a plane crash in the desert and weeks of confinement in the remains of his Ramallah headquarters, appeared to be back in business last night - despite previous Israeli declarations that he is "irrelevant". That the Palestinian leader could not be written off entirely was demonstrated, even before the diplomatic breakthrough, by the stream of distinguished visitors prepared to brave the squalor of his compound, including the US secretary of state, Colin Powell. The deal, in which six men wanted by the Israelis are transferred to British and American safekeeping in a Palestinian jail, gets everyone off the hook, at least for the time being. The Bush administration can claim to have achieved something, while Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah has not only repaired much of the political damage the kingdom sustained from September 11 but has emerged as the Arab leader of the moment. The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has been extricated from the corner into which he had painted himself, though the compromise may cause some damage to his tough-guy reputation. Mr Arafat is free to resume his presidency over what is left of the Palestinian Authority, without the martyrdom he allegedly craved. Whether Mr Arafat returns as anything more than non-executive chairman is another matter. There is good reason to speculate that the person running the show from now on will be Prince Abdullah. Hopes were not particularly high when the prince arrived at George Bush's Texas ranch last week. "The odd couple" was how a headline in the Washington Times labelled them. But, to the surprise of many, something gelled and there may now be the beginnings of a partnership. Since the prince casually revealed his peace initiative to a New York Times journalist in February and won approval for it from the Arab League in March, the germ of an idea has been growing in Washington. If Mr Bush were to drag the Israelis to the peace table, could Prince Abdullah drag the Arabs there too? The test of that hypothesis came last weekend when both leaders launched a telephone offensive to end the stand-offs in Ramallah and Bethlehem. The Americans turned the heat on Israel and the Saudis "were in constant contact with Mr Arafat, while Prince Abdullah himself was talking to Bush", according to an Arab diplomat. "The Saudi role was crucial in convincing the Americans to pressurise Israel in order to ease the situation," said Ali Muhsen Hamid, the Arab League's ambassador in London. "It's not a solution, but it could form the beginning." In the US, the Senate Republican leader, Trent Lott, confirmed yesterday that Washington and the Saudis had embarked on a strategy to apply pressure separately but in a coordinated way on the Israelis and Palestinians. "The Saudis have the ability, we think, to provide leadership, if they can assume it," Senator Lott told CNN. Prince Abdullah has been working closely with King Mohammed of Morocco and has been in touch with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. So far there seems to be a broad consensus. Where this will lead is anyone's guess. The fate of the UN "fact-finding" mission to Jenin is the next test. If Israel continues to resist, or if Mr Bush fails take a robust line with Mr Sharon when he visits Washington next week, Arab support for Prince Abdullah's efforts could fade. Longer term, Mr Bush has not said publicly whether he entirely supports the prince's peace initiative, which envisages among other things a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders - something Israel has never shown a willingness to accept. Mr Arafat, meanwhile, may find himself being driven along in the back seat of the prince's Rolls-Royce - or in the boot. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002
