BRITAIN

BRITAIN
The Times, London, Dec. 5: If the assault on his helicopter facilities in Gaza City and the enforced closure of the sole Palestinian airport were insufficiently clear signals, the Israeli missile attack on Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah yesterday made Ariel Sharon's intentions evident. Mr. Arafat is a virtually stranded figure, both physically and politically, and his freedom of movement depends entirely on the charity of the Israeli Prime Minister.
The complex demands of coalition politics in Jerusalem, notably his preference for retaining the Labour Party in his Cabinet, may mean that Mr. Sharon stops short of ordering the targeted killing of Mr. Arafat and does not declare the peace process to be dead and buried indefinitely.
Caution: But he would not weep if Mr Arafat went into exile. Mr. Sharon would be wise to exercise this element of caution. His spokesmen have said that it is not his policy to kill Mr. Arafat, although Israel plainly could if it so aspired, and he should not abandon that promise. The death of Mr. Arafat would not of itself resolve Israel's security dilemma and it would, understandably, be the cause of enormous trouble.
JAPAN
Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, Dec. 3: Taiwan's voters have given President Chen Shui-bian's ruling Democratic Progressive Party the largest block of seats in the 225-seat Legislative Yuan (parliament). The opposition Nationalist Party, which had held the political majority consistently for half a century, lost 40 percent of its seats in the Saturday poll, sustaining another historic defeat after surrendering the presidency to Chen a year ago.
Shrinking support: Since Chen's stunning presidential victory, China has strengthened its ties with the former ruling party and has refused to have a dialogue with the Democratic Progressives. The latest election, however, demonstrates that Beijing has little hope of broader support for reunification among Taiwan's voters by closer cooperation with a party with a shrinking support base.
SOUTH AFRICA
The Star, Johannesburg, Dec. 4: The country needs someone with independence and imagination to lead its fight against HIV/AIDS, which is a "war of enormous magnitude." These sentiments are shared by many.
Sadly, it appears that this country is nowhere near finding that person, especially not from the ruling party. The national executive committee of the ANC has proved that it has no independence at all from its president.
Foolish: In a statement released after its final meeting for the year, the NEC said it was satisfied that "significant progress had been made in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS, encouraging prevention, combatting prejudice and discrimination, and building a foundation for adequate treatment and care." What country are these people living in?
FRANCE
Le Monde, Paris, Dec. 4: We must state things simply. The blood bath carried out in Israel on Saturday and Sunday by terrorists of the Palestinian movement Hamas was barbaric.
Israeli authorities have placed responsibility for the attacks on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority; they accuse him of trying to sabotage the United States' latest attempt at mediation. That accusation is arguable. The weekend blood bath further weakens the Fatah chief. The attacks further undermine his authority, which has been precarious for 18 months -- since he refused to follow up on Ehud Barak's proposals for peace, since he launched an intifada that he is incapable of stopping.
Moment of truth: For Arafat, the moment of truth has arrived. He can no longer claim to lead the Palestinian movement if he does not take action against Hamas.