The time has come for Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to wake up. He has been hitting the snooze button on his alarm clock for far too long. Now is his last chance to act as the true leader of his people using diplomacy rather than violence to achieve Palestinian aspirations of statehood. Sadly, it looks like he will sleep through his last chance, causing further tragedy for the Palestinian people.

The world was optimistic when Arafat and the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands after signing of the Oslo Peace Accords on the White House lawn in September 1993. Now, after 20 months of Palestinian violence – leading to the deaths of hundreds of innocent Israelis and Palestinians – the handshake seems like a dream, as does the promise of peace.

Most Israelis and Palestinians dream of peace. It appears, however, that Arafat does not share this dream. An Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible, but it is incumbent upon Arafat to renounce violence and prevent terrorism from seeping out of the Palestinian territories. Terrorism anywhere, anytime is unacceptable.

Can one honestly say that Palestinians have come closer to victory as a result of the Intifada?

Israel, like any rational democratic state, cannot and will not negotiate under fire. Arafat must abandon his strategy of violence, end incitement and dismantle terrorist organizations flourishing within his borders.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak demonstrated Israeli intent for a permanent peace at the Camp David talks in August 2000 when he offered Arafat a state on 97 percent of the West Bank and all of Gaza, sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees to a mutually negotiated Palestinian state.

Instead of fulfilling his people’s desire for a state after 50 years of conflict, Arafat rejected the Barak proposal outright and left the talks without even presenting a counterproposal. As a man who claims to be the leader of the Palestinian people, Arafat proved he did not have the courage required to fulfill the hopes of millions.

Israel desires peace and has no interest in perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To reach a final agreement, Israel must be fully assured of a lasting, legitimate peace within secure borders before making more territorial concessions. Israel recognizes the suffering of the Palestinian people but has been forced to institute checkpoints to prevent terrorists from entering Israel – a policy that would not be necessary if Arafat honored his promise to crack down on terrorism.

The Oslo accords were based on a Palestinian promise of peace in exchange for the Israeli withdrawal from disputed lands allowing for Palestinian autonomy over territories comprising 97 percent of the Palestinian population. Under Arafat’s watch, this territory has become a hotbed for terrorists bent on destroying any hope for peace.

How can Israel accede to Palestinian demands to withdraw from the rest of the land if Arafat refuses to assume responsibility for the territory Israel has already placed under his control?

He cannot have it both ways. Arafat has the opportunity to go down in history as the man who helped the Palestinian people realize their dreams of a state alongside Israel. Will he choose a place alongside George Washington and the great leaders of history or become the latest leader to squander the Palestinian people’s dream of statehood?

-The writer, a sophomore majoring in political science, is president of the Jewish Student Association.