ISRAEL, THE PLO AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY.(PERSPECTIVE)

Byline: WILLIAM B. QUANDT

The impending agreement between Israel and the Palestine LiberationOrganization belongs to a small category of events that includes Richard Nixon's trip to China, Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem, the breaching of the Berlin Wall and the release of Nelson Mandela.

What these historical moments have in common is that they suddenly change the way we look at problems that were seemingly intractable. Thoughts that only days before were dismissed as unrealistic, absurd or naive are suddenly deemed acceptable to mainstream punditry. Acts that might have been labeled appeasement or capitulation are described as statesmanlike.

Of course, none of these historic moments quite lives up to the most far-reaching dreams they engender. Deep-rooted conflicts do not get resolved overnight. But by the same token, the world never looks quite the same once the unthinkable has become thinkable.

So, even though the road to Arab-Israeli peace remains a long and twisted one, the breakthrough that is at hand should be appreciated for what it is, and credit should be given to those who made it possible.

First and foremost, recognition should go to those Israelis …