Arab governments are wary of jeopardizing relations with the United States. They need U.S. protection and their economies are more intertwined than ever with those of the West. Yet Arab governments also have little incentive to be active in encouraging Arafat to settle for less. Arab states have differing views and interests regarding the peace process and even Israel itself. Clear change has been visible even in Syria and in its involuntary Lebanese satellite.
Some regimes have a real material interest in limiting confrontation.
Egypt, Jordan, and 10 Arab countries in North Africa and the Gulf are very much committed to a peaceful resolution of the dispute. These states while holding differing views on the importance of constraining Israel s economic and strategic advantages in a post-conflict environment would like the conflict with Israel to go away so they will not be dragged into crises or forced to spend resources fighting it. They do not want to return to the old era of all-out conflict and war. Breathing a sigh of relief, they can get on with the problems of economic and social development. At the same time, though, they don t want to be criticized by radical forces or states accusing them of being Zionist or Western puppets who are impious and unpatriotic.