WHAT IF?....12/9/23

As Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization between 1969 and 2004, Yasser Arafat was then one of the most famous and colorful men in the world.

Ehud Barak, a highly decorated Lieutenant General in the Israeli Defense Forces, was Prime Minister of Israel during part of Arafat’s reign as head of the PLO.

So in 2000, after intense negotiations, Barak offered up a 2-state solution to the Palestinians, which was eventually rejected by Arafat.

Some said it was because Arafat loved the jet-setting and attention that came his way during that time, and if he struck a bargain, he would lose power, prestige, and maybe even his job.

There were no doubt other reasons as well that could be arguably justified.

Nevertheless, this was perhaps one of those millions of pivotal moments throughout history where things might have been different if we human beings were better at settling our differences.

But it seems we have a tendency to dig in for a variety or reasons and ignore that priceless virtue of compromise.