WASHINGTON — Encouraged by the possibility of a more moderate Palestinian leadership replacing Yasser Arafat, the Bush administration is considering a new initiative to broker peace in the Middle East.
The death of the Palestinian leader would clear away what U.S. officials have long cited as the chief obstacle to greater involvement by the Bush administration. But even with a new face on the Palestinian leadership, significant hurdles would remain, officials emphasized.
Although the White House refused to deal with Arafat because of his failure to halt attacks on Israelis, it has supported the two Palestinian Authority leaders, Prime Minister Ahmed Korei and former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who have emerged as Arafat's most likely successors.
Arafat, 75, remained in a hospital near Paris on Saturday. Palestinian officials met in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to display unity in the absence of the man who has been their rais, or chief, for decades.
With the U.S. election over, Arab and European allies are exerting pressure on President Bush to step up what most view as a stalled U.S. peace effort. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said last week that a Middle East settlement should be the highest priority of Bush's second term. Blair will visit Washington this week.
Foreign diplomats said the public and private comments of administration officials even before the election had indicated that they intended to put new energy into the peace effort if Bush won reelection, in part to build support among Arabs for U.S. missions in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. In his first post-election news conference, Bush said Thursday that "we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel."
U.S. officials said that the administration is eager for a new chance, but it faces a tough task.
Arafat's death could spark violence, and radical groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad may challenge more moderate leaders for control, officials said. In addition, the power of the Palestinian central government has waned in recent years, and moderate new leaders must show they can control the population, U.S. officials said.
"I would warn against the perception that there's a ripe opportunity, ready for the plucking," said one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This is something that's going to take time, even after Arafat's gone."
