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What will the P.L.O. do if the situation on the West Bank should get worse? P.L.O. Chairman Yasser Arafat insisted last week that his organization will not break the cease-fire in southern Lebanon, despite the impatience of some of the P.L.O. 's more radical leaders. "I am sure I can control the situation," he said. Arafat supports the diplomatic approach at this stage for several reasons.
The Arab world is divided and concerned about Iraq's recent losses in its war with Iran. There are signs that the P.L.O. may be short of weapons. Finally, Arafat realizes that the West Bank Palestinians, using only sticks, stones and burning tires, have been getting a good press throughout the world.
The final Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai is a momentous event, but it does not bring the Israelis and the Arabs any closer to a solution of the two central issues of their conflict. One of these is the fate of the Palestinian people. The other is 'the future of Jerusalem (see following story), so sacred to Jews and Arabs alike that it is seemingly beyond compromise. — By William E. Smith. Reported by David Halevy and Robert Slate/Jerusalem