Mahmoud Abbas takes the reigns

The architect of the Oslo accords was elected Chairman of the PLO, which could be a positive move but it still remains to be seen whether or not he will have general support from the Palestinian people. The positive news is that he has been against terror and violence and should be a great candidate to take the Palestinian people into the future. His biggest battle could be rooting out corruption within the Palestinian leadership and I think that bringing peace with Israel might be easier than eliminating corruption.

The Palestinian people deserve better than what Arafat gave them. Lining pockets while your people suffer and live in poverty is not what I consider heroic. I hope to see the West unite in their support towards Palestinian leaders who promote peace and not violence. We're also going to have to step up our pressure on Sharon to back down and also work for a peaceful settlement. Let's hope that Mahmoud Abbas has the chance to give them the future that they should have had years ago.