VOL. XLIV

No 51

17 December 2001

The Political Scene

Following an attack on a busloadof settlers in the West Bank, Israel has formally declared PalestinianAuthority (PA) President Yasir 'Arafat no longer relevant and cut off allcommunication with him. It has also launched a massive military operation inthe occupied territories whose objective could conceivably be to dismantle thePA. The US has reacted to this potentially catastrophic development with acaution that suggests it is wary of...