Momentous triple challenge

Arafat is no longer in Ramallah. A team of moderate figures will replace him. The Palestinian predicament has suddenly been altered; a new reality is emerging.

Its essence: Palestinian decision-making is now in the hands of pragmatic politicians seeking pragmatic solutions. I know these men personally. This is what they are.

This new reality poses a challenge to three major players.

The challenge for the Palestinian leadership is proving that they are really different from Arafat in their rejection of terror and in their willingness to negotiate seriously with Israel.

The challenge for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to demonstrate that he can deal fairly with a Palestinian partner who is not Yasser Arafat – alas, not how he treated Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen) when he was the prime minister.

This is the time for Sharon to prove that his disengagement plan is a genuine step toward peace and compromise, and not "Gaza first – Gaza last."

The challenge for President George Bush is to initiate, after a long period of passivity, a decisive and constructive response to the changes that are occurring. This is a real opportunity to show the entire region that moderation will be supported and rewarded.

The true test of this momentous triple challenge will be how the disengagement plan, Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, is implemented. If both governments – Israeli and Palestinian – use this auspicious opportunity to turn the unilateral move into a coordinated, bilateral operation, it will bring dramatic and lasting change rather than just a fleeting glimmer of hope.

The two governments should immediately appoint two joint transition teams to handle military and economic matters. The military team would plan and implement the handing over of Gaza to a responsible Palestinian administration that would impose law, order, and the cessation of terror.

The economic team would prepare the new economic regime to prevail after Israel's withdrawal. Among other issues dealt with would be close coordination on cross-border trade regulations, Palestinian employment in Israel, the development of industrial zones on the border, construction in the evacuated lands, and the use of off-shore gas.

The challenge to President Bush is to lead the international effort to support this bilateral move and, if needed, to urge the parties to embark on this historic endeavor. The US would not only find Europe a willing partner to this policy, it could become a model for renewed trans-Atlantic joint action.

Whatever happens over the next days and weeks, there is little doubt that we have entered a particularly critical time. If the players are unable to show immediate, practical achievements, if Israel's withdrawal from Gaza is viewed only as a victory for Islamic terror, then the historic departure of Yasser Arafat from the scene will surely be remembered as an opportunity recklessly wasted.

The writer is an MK (Labor) and a former minister.