Ahead of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s summit with President Bush today, Yasser Arafat has once again reminded the world of what he’s all about and why he will always be a roadblock to any meaningful steps toward peace that can be taken in the Middle East. Though it received little attention from the American press over the weekend, Mr. Arafat’s threat in a broadcast address that if Israel does not retreat from Palestinian Authority-ruled territories there will be a “disastrous explosion that will impact stability of the whole world” is quite remarkable. It establishes clearly that no amount of cabinet shuffling or sham elections will bring respectability to the PA. And while it may be asserted in coming days that the aging murderer was speaking metaphorically, you don’t have to be Ben Affleck — or Jack Ryan — to recognize Mr. Arafat’s comment as an allusion to a unconventional strike against the Jewish State.

It is no secret that much of the Arab world would relish the opportunity to annihilate Israel in a single strike, dealing with the fallout, both literal and figurative, at a later date. The implicit was made explicit in December of last year when, marking Iran’s Jerusalem Day, a former Iranian president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, fantasized openly about the day when Arab nations would possess nuclear arms. “On that day, the strategy of the West will hit a dead end, since a single atomic bomb has the power to completely destroy Israel, while an Israeli counterstrike can only cause partial damage to the Islamic world,” he said. Iran met Israel’s protest of this comment by claiming that the statement had been taken out of context, but no clear-eyed observer could doubt the truth that had been spoken.

The fact is that for years now responsible figures have been warning of the buildup of unconventional weapons. Saddam Hussein has already used poison gas in Kurdistan. He is racing to acquire a nuclear bomb. The Iranians have been getting help from the Russians. And with the suicide bombings in Israel and the attacks of September 11 against New York and the Pentagon we have received demonstration after demonstration that the mindset is there among enemies of America and Israel to do something far more dangerous. With each bombing the administration distances itself from Mr. Arafat, only to redeem him again and again. After the bus bombing Thursday, and Mr. Arafat’s comments over the weekend, the point is approaching when this cycle will finally come to an end.