Israel’s Opportunity

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon needs to give more help to the United States in its global fight against terrorism. Step one is toning down his overblown rhetoric. Step two is letting his foreign minister meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The Bush administration has repeatedly urged Sharon to dispatch Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to meet with Arafat to discuss a truce in the months of fighting between Palestinians and Israelis. Instead, Sharon says that only after Arafat gets the Palestinians to halt violence for two days will he let the talks begin.

That recalcitrance is unacceptable after last Tuesday’s terrorist destruction in New York and Washington. The United States needs Arab nations to be part of the coalition battling the apostles of hate. Arab states that have condemned Israel for its attacks on Palestinians and have encouraged Washington to be more involved in a Mideast peace process will have a greater incentive to join the coalition if there is a truce in Israel.

Peres, considerably less hawkish than the prime minister, was so upset by Sharon’s refusal to let him meet with Arafat that he reportedly threatened to resign.

Meanwhile, Sharon has gone overboard in comparing Arafat to Osama bin Laden. Arafat is the leader of an organization that has received diplomatic recognition from the United Nations and most of its members. Bin Laden is the prime suspect in last week’s mass murder. Bin Laden has been indicted in the United States for masterminding the bombing of U.S. embassies in 1998 and been linked to last year’s bombing of the U.S. warship Cole in Yemen.

Israel has fought for its survival in wars against Arab enemies and is understandably cautious about compromises with the Palestinians, especially after Arafat foolishly rejected generous proposals for Palestinian independence two years ago. And Arafat deserves blame for not stopping suicide bombers from killing innocent Israelis.

But Sharon must not mistake the United States’ determination to find and crush terrorist networks as Israel’s opportunity to wipe out the Palestinian Authority. Rather, Israel now has a chance not just to help an ally but to increase the chances for peace within its borders. It’s an opportunity Sharon should seize.