The Wrong Target

Sari Nusseibeh seems an odd focus for Israeli anger. Dr. Nusseibeh, the Palestinian Authority's representative in Jerusalem, is the leading voice of moderation within mainstream Palestinian politics. In a breathtakingly wrongheaded move, Israel shut down his office at Al-Quds University on Tuesday. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should limit the damage by quickly reversing the decision.

Last month President Bush exhorted Palestinians to turn to "new and different" Palestinian leaders, "not compromised by terror." Dr. Nusseibeh, a scholarly man descended from an elite Jerusalem family, would occupy a prominent place on any list of such leaders. He has repeatedly taken constructive positions, sometimes in opposition to Yasir Arafat.

Last year Dr. Nusseibeh courageously urged fellow Palestinians to drop their insistence on a right of return by refugees to their former homes in Israel. An agreement by Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist as two neighboring states, he argued, means accepting that the future state of Palestine, and not Israel, will be the homeland for all Palestinians. This daring proposal, which resulted in death threats to Dr. Nusseibeh, would have removed the biggest obstacle to a negotiated peace agreement. Regrettably, it was rejected by the Palestinian Authority's leadership.