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>>OK, not directly telling the Palestinians that they must do what he says, but saying that they'll only get American support if & when they do as he says. They know that without American support, they will not be able to oppose Israel. So while not exactly dictating to them what to do, the perception amongst the Palestinians is exactly that.
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>PMFJI, but so what. If a country expects the support of another country, it's not unreasonable to assume that there will be "conditions" to that support. In this case, the condition is that they get rid of someone who is, in the US's eyes, a core part of the problem. If the people of that country aren't willing to fix that problem, why on earth should we continue to support them? Why help those who won't help themselves, so to speak? I'm not saying the US is always correct, but that's the nature of the world. If you want something, expect to have to give something in return.

Thanks for clarifying the matter, the Palestinians want peace & for Israel to comply with various UN resolutions, so they have to make concessions.

It must be wonderful to see the world so clearly in black & white - Arafat goes & there can peace.

With Arafat gone, do you seriously think Sharon will give up the occupied territories & back down over his proposals to increase the Israeli incursions into Palestine.

Maybe with Arafat gone, some things will become easier, but not without Sharon gone as well.

It seems Israel get support from the US without conditions attached (unless the support is conditional on their continued purchase of weapons from the US).