Arafat is dead: a chance to reflect and to build a new future

Yasser Arafat, 75, may not be popular in the United States or in Israel but he is a popular leader among his people and to many around the world. He once claimed that he was born in Jerasuleum but in fact he was born in Cairo, Egypt. There he will receive a state funeral. His body will likely be buried in the Ramallah.
In 1959, Arafat and his friends created Al-Fatah, an underground network of secret cells, advocating an armed struggle against Israel. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was formed by Arab League. At first it seemed that the PLO would be more concilatory towards bringing about peace with Israel. But after the Six Day War, the underground Al-Fatah movement became the largest faction in the PLO. In 1969 Arafat took became the chairman of the PLO executive committee.
In 1994, Yasser Arafat won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin for the Osolo Peace Accords. Yitzhak Rabin was assisinated before Oslo could be implemented.
Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak, then Prime Minister of Israel went to Camp David at the end of the Clinton Administration. The initial plan gave the Palestinian 73% of the land area in the West Bank and all of Gaza. In 10 to 15 years Israel would give up additional areas helping the Palestinian state get extend its border to over 90 percent of the West Bank. It is likely the both sides could not agree on the sensative issue of refugees returning and who would be exercise more control over West Jerusaleum including the sacret Haram As Sharif (Temple Mount).
After the uprising in 2001 it seemed as if the peace process was dead. But liberal-minded leaders among the PLO and many Labor Party have agreed to the Geneva Accords. The agreement calls for Palestine state living alongside Israel. The borders would follow the 1967 lines with some alterations. Israel would control the Gus Etzion settlemts, Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, Jewish parts of the Old City and Ma'aleh Edumim. An international religious authority would control main holy sites and the Temple Mount would be under palestinian soverignty. Israel would decide how many refugees would be accepted and the other refugees would be given compensation. Such a peace accord is unlikely to go forward in real terms until the Labor Party takes power again from the current conservative Likud government.

Some public opinion polls say 53.3 percent of Israelis would support such a proposal while 43.9 percent said they would oppose it. On the Palestinian side, 55.6 percent expressed support for it.

The mentality among both populations must change. Many more Palestinians need to accept the fact that the state of Israel will exist. The Israeli's must accept the fact that they have the upper hand in the situation thus they will need to make the largest sacrifies in terms of giving land, settlements and agree on a Palestinian state if they are ever to achieve peace.