Editorial: Peace in Mideast will be difficult

Friday, April 25, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

In a compromise agreement reached after a 10-day standoff, Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas finally settled on the composition of a Cabinet for the Palestinian Authority. Arafat was able to get a few of his cronies into Cabinet posts, but Abbas got most of what he wanted. More importantly, from the perspective of the United States and Israel, Arafat was unable to stop Abbas from giving Mohammed Dahlan a key security post in the government. The U.S. government believes Dahlan will be willing to crack down on Palestinian extremists, something that Israel considers essential if there is to be any hope for peace in the region.

While the formation of a Cabinet more to the liking of Abbas is positive, it shouldn't be overstated. To begin with, Arafat demonstrated his ability to muck up the peace process by interfering with the Cabinet's selection, something he had no business doing. Unfortunately, Arafat won't quietly go away. He probably will continue to meddle and try to exert control behind the scenes. In addition, although Israel and the United States view Abbas as an improvement over Arafat, it is a double-edged sword because extremists and hard-liners may be suspicious of Abbas, fearing that he will bend to outside influence. It also won't be easy for Abbas to put an end to violence. A chilling reminder of that came the day after Abbas and Arafat reached their agreement: On Thursday a Palestinian suicide bomber killed a guard and injured 13 others at an Israeli train station .

This is the moment of truth for the Palestinians. They either can make their government work, which includes ending suicide attacks against Israelis, or they can continue on in a downward spiral of violence that ultimately will be their downfall.