This is so exciting that I am going to....ZZzzz.

Time will tell whether or not he is willing to keep up his end in maintaining a fragile peace with the Israelis. The other question is how will he handle the militant elements of Palestinian society. The position he has requires him to walk on a very delicate tightrope.

He can shave better than Arafat

My Uncle lives in Jerusalem,and he is very encouraged that this man may be much more effective in maintaining peace than Arafat was.

Arafat's removal from the platform of terrorist power is the story, but I believe that we're all going to find out how dangerous it is to sit on or near this platform over the next 5-10 years. The single most remarkable point about Arafat is how long he survived with so many murderous, fanatical factions circling around him. Pay attention to how politically crafty Abbas is with his statements and support initiatives. One misstep and he's toast, any bets on how long he lasts as the leader of this loose confederacy?

I don't know about Mahmoud Abbas specifically. He might only be some run of the mill pol for all I know. What is very significant, however, is that someone - anyone - replaced Yasir Arafat.

Time will tell just big this will be. Thus far, things are looking pretty good. -- Ok, let me put it this way to satisfy others: I have more hope now that Arafat is dead and gone, time will tell if things will get better or not. If arafat were still in power, there would be no reason to even have hope.