He will not accept the solutions approved by Barak. Strangely, everybody is helping him realise his goals. President Bush is calling on Arafat to contain the situation and to give Sharon time. The European countries are putting pressure on Arafat so that he, in turn, will put pressure on the Intifada. Arafat himself has declared that he is ready to give Sharon a chance.
Nothing seems sure.
The Bush Administration is not as willing to be immersed in the peace process as the Clinton Administration was. The primary goal of US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to the region towards the end of the month is best understood in the context of the anniversary of the Gulf War. The issue of peace occupies second place. It may take Bush several months to get his bearings on Israel. By then, the nascent Middle East working group will have convinced him that conditions are not what they were 10 years ago, and that America will not manage to revive the alliance against Iraq.