Arafat Is Freed. Now What?

With Yasser Arafat released from his month-long confinement in Ramallah and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon set to visit Washington for talks this week with President Bush, the Middle East crisis is on the verge of a new round of diplomatic struggle. Israeli officials tell TIME that Sharon, hoping to pre-empt U.S. and Saudi initiatives, will make a new concession on Palestinian statehood, conditioned on "serious, concrete and continued steps against terrorism" by Arafat. Israeli officials say the concession will involve a new map for a potential Palestinian state. U.S. officials say they won't know the details until they meet Sharon...