We'll now see (a) how serious Palestinian President Abbas is and (b) if he actually has the power to control the Palestinian areas:

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened Sunday to freeze peace efforts if the Palestinian leadership does not crack down on militant groups after a weekend suicide bombing in Tel Aviv killed four Israelis and wounded dozens.

The professional hand-wringers in the leftwing elite will see this as Israeli intransigence - I guess that the Israeli's are supposed to accept a certain level of murder and mayhem in the interests of peace. But this is a necessity - a peace deal must, in the end, have a secure peace as its end. A secure peace means zero terrorist attacks against Israel - not some, not a few; NONE. Anything less than that isn't peace, and thus Israel will have to keep fighting.

Obviously, Abbas cannot just snap his fingers and bring everyone into line on the matter - and it stands to reason that many outsiders wish for no peace at all; but Abbas must make a concerted effort, even at the risk of his life, to bring the terrorists to heel. Palestinians, if they wish peace and prosperity, must shed their own blood to kill the hate-filled fanatics within their own population - if they are unwilling to do this, then there can be no peace.