Editorial: A break from the past

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005 | 9:19 a.m.

Mahmoud Abbas' election Sunday as president of the Palestinian Authority was impressive. He received 62 percent of the vote, while his closest opponent received about 20 percent. The suit-wearing Abbas, in both style and substance, is remarkably different from Yasser Arafat, his fatigue-clad predecessor who was more devoted to terrorism than he ever was to peace. It was troubling that Abbas used inflamatory anti-Israeli rhetoric near the end of the campaign, but it is significant that he condemned the recent four-year war of terrorism waged against Israel that Arafat had approved.

After his victory, Abbas said that Palestinians were "ready for peace" and that he was eager to resume peace talks with Israel. It is encouraging that many Palestinians, who had grown weary of Arafat and his corruption-plagued government, are looking for stability from Abbas. But this shouldn't overshadow the fact that Palestinian terrorist groups aren't willing yet to lay down their weapons, making Abbas' job all the more difficult. It's essential that Abbas exercise control over Palestinian security forces so that they actually crack down on terrorism. Unless this occurs, a long-lasting peace can't be reached.

The prospects for fruitful negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians weren't just brightened by Abbas' election. On Monday the situation looked even better after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new coalition government was narrowly approved by Israel's parliament. This gives Sharon the majority that he needs to go forward with his plan to remove all 21 Israeli settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank.

Optimism isn't something mentioned frequently when describing the outlook for peace in the Middle East, but Abbas' election is a clear break from the past. For now, however, Palestinians, Israelis and much of the rest of the world will have to wait to see what steps toward peace Abbas will take in order to make his victory at the polls truly meaningful.