Secretary of State Colin Powell flew to the Middle East last weekend in an effort to kick-start the U.S.-backed plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. But its fate may depend largely on one leader Powell did not plan to meet: Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian chief last month grudgingly turned over power, at least in theory, to a newly installed Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas. But top Palestinian officials tell TIME that Arafat is still fomenting opposition to the new PM. Arafat met last week with several local leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Fatah faction (to which Abbas also belongs), offering money and jobs...
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