Rift between Arafat and Abbas on mend

The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas -- both should realise that the rift between them can only damage the real prospect for peace. And with Israeli leader Ariel Sharon's effort to isolate Arafat internationally, things can only get worse. On that point, we have some reason to take heart, though. Both Arafat and Abbas seem to be trying to bury the hatchets and work together for a long lasting solution in the region which they had been struggling to achieve for so long. Whether in the past Arafat was trying to undermine Abbas or whether Abbas was reportedly very soft towards Israel, the bottomline is both of them are striving to reach the same destination. And, therefore, any kind of personality clash or a 'conflict of power' between the two political heavyweights would only jeopardise the prospect of a solution.

Here we would like to commend the British government for rejecting Israel's appeals to break off relations with Arafat. The firm decision by Tony Blair's government to deal with Arafat 'where it was appropriate since he was an elected leader' should din the right sense into ears of the Israeli premier. With this kind of support behind them, the Palestinian leaders should be able to easily sort out their differences and show the world a united front, because that's what the world wants to see.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source