The death of Palestine Authority President Yasser Arafat opens the door to new possibilities in the troubled Middle East. While Mr. Arafat was the embodiment of Palestinian aspirations, he had also become an obstacle to peace. His most important interlocutors -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush -- had no faith in him. Even though he was the democratically elected head of the Palestinian people, neither man was willing to deal with Mr. Arafat and they preferred to let the peace process languish rather than expend precious political capital on negotiations with him. A new Palestinian leader, genuinely committed to peace, could break the paralysis.
The rest of the world must be prepared to meet and assist him. During his visit with Mr. Bush last weekend, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said bringing peace to the Middle East is the single most important thing the two men can do. Mr. Bush agreed, and promised to mobilize international support to make that happen. He said he would like to see a Palestinian state in four years.
The first step in the process is holding democratic elections to pick a successor to Mr. Arafat. By law, Mr. Rawhi Fattouh, the former speaker of the Parliament, becomes president of the Palestinian Authority until elections are held. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, the negotiator and former Palestinian prime minister, was named chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.