Pressure on Arafat now comes from within

Under increased internal and international pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority and put an end to suicide bombings, Yasir Arafat conceded this week that he has made mistakes and promised to institute change. 'We are in a great need to review our policies in order to rectify and correct our march toward national independence,' he said. He also repeated his opposition to attacks on Israeli civilians, saying, 'These operations do not serve our interests.' The words sound constructive, but advocates of reform will remain skeptical of Mr. Arafat's genuine commitment to transparency, accountability and power sharing.