Who Will Blink First?

Meeting with Sharon and then Arafat, Colin Powell unveils his plan for peace and a Palestinian state. But hatred threatens to kill the deal

As Colin Powell left Ariel Sharon's Jerusalem residence last Friday afternoon and announced that four hours of talks had failed to persuade the Israeli Prime Minister to halt his military offensive in the West Bank, a 20-year-old Palestinian woman named Andaleeb Taqatqa prepared to die. Her plan was to walk into the Mahane Yehuda market in downtown Jerusalem and blow herself up during rush hour as Israelis shopped for fruits and vegetables in preparation for the Sabbath. When she arrived at the crowded bazaar just after 4 p.m., Israeli police prevented her from entering. She walked down the street, waited for...

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