Israel and the United States aren’t the only governments that are eager to get on with the post-Yasser Arafat era. Even before Arafat was laid to rest last week by mourning throngs in the West Bank, Jordan’s King Abdullah II was already pressing his vision for a renewed Middle East peace effort — one free from the polarizing presence of the revered and reviled Palestinian icon. In an editorial published on the day of Arafat’s funeral, Abdullah all but hailed his death as a new beginning for the region. “Events provide fresh opportunities,” he wrote in the New York Times. “New Palestinian leadership can carry forward the vision of a viable, independent Palestine by delivering on the reforms that statehood involves: competent governance, investments in public welfare, fighting corruption, tougher security against terrorism and a real partnership at the peace tables.” The statement amounted to a thinly veiled condemnation of the Arafat era. Nevertheless, Abdullah marched in Arafat’s funeral procession in Cairo, and flags in Amman, the Jordanian capital, fly at half-staff. Full Story
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