I think he feels that he is in a crisis. He is behaving like a general in a battle.
Psychologically, in the long term, this could have a very profound impact in the sense that Israelis are grieving for an Arab monarch or identifying with an Arab nation, something that's never happened before. I think, however, in the short term, if we judge it in political terms, it's not going to have much of an effect.
The peace process doesn't seem to be in such good shape anyway. It's teetering on the brink of collapse, even before today's decision. This will bring it one step closer to final collapse.
I don't think Mr. Sharon has given up his hope of achieving the ultimate post of prime minister. As long as he has these ambitions, I think he will be a danger to Mr. Netanyahu.
I think Mr. Sharon at this point in time seems to be more generous concerning the establishment of a Palestinian state, less generous concerning the territories the Palestinian state will control.
Successive American administrations have declared peace in the Middle East is an American strategic interest, and one assumes that for an American strategic interest, Americans pay.
The issue of releasing Palestinian prisoners is very unpopular in Israel, and if he goes too far, he'll suffer more than by his failure to reach an agreement.
The Arafat-Clinton summit is critical because it will show whether we are moving towards a summit which might yield an agreement or whether we are moving towards deadlock, which will lead to confrontation.
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