A Chance in the Middle East

Monday, September 17, 2001; Page A26

IN THE transformation of international relations that is following last week's terrorist assault, there is a large diplomatic opportunity for the United States in what might seem like one of the most unlikely places: the Middle East. Militants with roots in that region carried out the attacks on New York and Washington, and the trail of evidence eventually may lead to one or more governments there. But the Arab Middle East is mostly ruled by moderate or secular governments that depend on the United States for security and that have themselves fought for years against Islamic extremist movements. The worldwide shock of the attacks has given the Bush administration the chance to win the indispensable collaboration of these states against the terrorists -- and also to reverse what has been a steady deterioration of both U.S. influence and overall stability in the region.

For the last year, U.S. ties with longtime allies Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have been cooling steadily. That has been due in part to differences about how to handle Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the failure of the United States to mend a failed policy of containment and sanctions. But moderate Arab governments also have been alienated by the violence between Palestinians and Israelis, which has bred widespread public anger against both Israel and the United States. The Bush administration further irritated Arab leaders by refraining from strong action to stop the conflict.

The effect of last week's events has been a forceful change of subject. Many average citizens of the Arab world were shocked by the murderous attack on the United States. Like Americans, they fear and despise the extremists who aspire to rule over their countries, such as Egypt's Islamic group, which is a full partner of the terrorist Osama bin Laden, or the Hezbollah organization of Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Leaders such as Egypt's Hosni Mubarak may be prepared to use that reaction to shift back toward fuller cooperation with the United States. Others may be pushed into taking steps against terrorists they would otherwise resist. If last week's events or other terrorist crimes are linked to Saddam Hussein, it even may be possible to reenergize the coalition that marched against him in 1991.

All of this can happen only if the problem of extremism and terrorism -- and not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- remains the political focal point of the Middle East. That will require an end to the fighting in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and a return to the peace process -- but there, too, is an opportunity that did not exist a week ago. Though some Palestinians celebrated the attack on America, moderate Palestinian leaders quickly began circulating petitions denouncing the terrorism, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pledged to attend talks with Israel "any time, any place."

Mr. Arafat must do more than show up at a meeting, of course. As a starting point for acceptance in the world after Sept. 11, he must decisively end the support of the Palestinian media for suicide bombings and other terrorist acts and once and for all act against those in his territory who organize and plan them. But Mr. Arafat cannot easily act if his own administration and security forces are under concerted attack by Israel, as they have been all through the last week, and his intentions cannot be tested if the Israeli government refuses to speak to him.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, drawing his own conclusions from the last week, has begun equating Mr. Arafat with Osama bin Laden and evidently believes that he now can seek to destroy the Palestinian leader. Over the weekend Mr. Sharon became the first world leader since the crisis began to reject an appeal for cooperation by President Bush, who asked in vain that Mr. Sharon allow his foreign minister to meet with Mr. Arafat. Israel and the United States certainly share the same threat from terrorism and the same long-term goals. But Mr. Sharon's conduct is reckless; far from contributing to a fight against terrorism, he is endangering a fragile opportunity to change the course of events in the Middle East.