The death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on November 10 means a new era of Palestinian leadership and the possibility of a revitalized peace process. Will new Palestinian leaders follow in Arafat's footsteps? Will they make an attempt to broker peace with their Israeli neighbors? Who is at the helm of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and its largest faction, Fatah? Who will take control over the Palestinian Authority's security forces, and will those forces be able to control terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad? Do Palestinian reformers have a chance at political success? What role will the United States and its allies play in future negotiations?
These and other questions will be the subject of an AEI panel discussion. Participants will include Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Said Arikat, Washington correspondent for Al Quds Daily Newspaper; and Brigadier General Michael Herzog (IDF), visiting military fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former top adviser to Israel's minister of defense. AEI resident scholar Joshua Muravchik will moderate.