I think Mr. Sharon at this point in time seems to be more generous concerning the establishment of a Palestinian state, less generous concerning the territories the Palestinian state will control.

I don't think Mr. Sharon has given up his hope of achieving the ultimate post of prime minister. As long as he has these ambitions, I think he will be a danger to Mr. Netanyahu.

The issue of releasing Palestinian prisoners is very unpopular in Israel, and if he goes too far, he'll suffer more than by his failure to reach an agreement.

It seems that now Arafat may have an incentive to sign the agreement. Before, he was concerned that it would give Netanyahu the image of a peacemaker and would get him off the hook of international pressure. But now it seems such a thing won't happen even if Netanyahu does sign a Hebron agreement.

The situation is grave from an Israeli point of view, probably on the verge of an explosion. There's a consensus both in the security establishment and in public opinion, and among most ministers in the government, that Israel needs to escalate its response to Palestinian terror.

I think he feels that he is in a crisis. He is behaving like a general in a battle.