The truth is that Rabin called Arafat’s bluff. Arafat has been holding out for several concessions, including Palestinian control of the border crossings between the autonomous areas and Egypt and Jordan once the Israeli troop withdrawal is completed next spring. That’s more than a detail. No matter how tiny the PLO’s fiefdom initially may be, control of the immigration checkpoints would grant Palestinians one of the primary trappings of statehood. It also would greatly complicate Israeli efforts to prevent the infiltration of terrorists. On such matters, Rabin told the Knesset last week, “no compromise is possible.” Arafat was reduced to pleading his case in Europe. “I haven’t given up my dream [of a unified state],” be said in London. “But love cannot be one-sided.”
As the peace plan slips, Arafat’s problems pile up. Four Arafat loyalists in Gaza have been assassinated since the White House ceremony in what looks like a power struggle between factions of his Fatah organization. Top PLO officials are openly bridling at his autocratic management style. Until the Israeli pullout begins, Arafat won’t be able to start building up his patronage empire using $570 million in foreign-development aid. Perversely, Arafat’s hole card is his vulnerability. Israel now needs him to stave off the challenge of radical fundamentalism. But Rabin has made it clear he won’t be rushed. At the weekend, officials cautioned that the autonomy plan might slide as much as three more weeks–even with Arafat on board.
