Stardate 20011205.2238 (On Screen): Arafat is trapped. He no longer can wiggle out. His forces attempted to make one of the necessary arrests and were beaten back by Hamas. He phoned Peres, usually the most tractable member of Israel's government and Peres told him bluntly that there was no longer any more time and Arafat had to act immediately and decisively, and nothing less would do. Peres gave him 12 hours.
He has pleaded for international support to reign in the Israelis but that's not going to happen, because the United States won't do it and no-one else can. And even other Arab nations are telling him that he's out of time and that the militants have to be completely stopped immediately and that only he can do it. There's no way for him to talk his way out; he has no friends and no way to dither and delay. There's no where to turn, no way to hide. He's screwed, big time. (discuss)
