nning with a candidate of their own next time round.
The “Wipe Israel Off the Map” groups see Abbas as a stopgap leader who could buy them time to strengthen their positions, especially in Gaza, before making their own bid for power.
Many in the outside world (including the Arab states, Israel and Washington) also see Abbas as their second-best choice, albeit for different reasons.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has gone out of his way to praise Abbas, who is also the only Palestinian leader to have shaken hands with President Bush. In the past few weeks Abbas, has received red-carpet welcomes from a dozen Arab leaders during a high-profile tour of the Middle East.
All that is good news — which explains the wave of optimism that seems to be sweeping away whatever is left of realism with regard to a conflict that has defied logic for more than half a century.
The bad news is that there is no indication that a majority either of the Palestinians or of the Israelis are prepared to quickly switch from a mood of conflict to one of peace, if not reconciliation.
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