Here's What the Israelis Will Do Next

Secretary of State Powell is about to embark on a magical mystery tour of Israel and the West Bank.

The mystery is what he thinks he can accomplish. The Palestinians might not even talk to him, and the Israelis probably won't listen.

Word from Yasser Arafat's bunker is that if Powell doesn't meet with the Palestinian president-for-life, he will be boycotted. But arranging a meeting won't be easy. During his recent swing through the area, Vice President Cheney stiffed the Palestinian leader because he wouldn't denounce terror or call for peace in Arabic.

Arafat still hasn't, and he won't. If Powell drops in on him anyway, Israel will see it as an American cave-in, a prize for the Passover massacre and other atrocities.

If Powell does meet Arafat, it won't be fun. He'll get an earful about President Bush's recent broad hints that this war is the Palestinians' fault and that it's time for the post-Arafat era.

Powell's response would be to ask Arafat to implement the Tenet plan. Tenet, a series of steps leading to a ceasefire drawn up by CIA Director George Tenet, calls for active and visible opposition to terror — something Arafat can't possibly provide. There may be a photo op, but no one will be smiling.