Nearly two years ago the Bush administration froze out Yasser Arafat. Their reasoning was straightforward: Arafat had no real intention of facilitating peace. Stirring his people’s hatred is how he kept himself in power. In the post-Arafat era, the administration is again talking about the prospect of an independent Palestinian state. The person who will lead the historic accord will be the newly appointed Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. A strong advocate of multi lateral alliances, Rice will almost certainly reach out to Europe in the coming weeks, to launch a joint initiative aimed at strengthening ties between the United...