And so there will finally be a prime minister for the Palestinian Authority and his name is Abu Mazen!

The hopes that this move by Arafat inspires amongst those who still believe that peace can be reached with the Palestinian terrorists must be tempered with a closer look at the man upon whom those hopes are pinned. This fellow, whose real name is Mahmoud Abbas, published a book in Arabic in 1983 titled "The Other Side: The Secret Relations Between Nazism and the Leadership of the Zionist Movement", in which he repeatedly cast doubt on the fact that six million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis. Aside from denying the scope of the Holocaust, he sought to absolve the Nazis for the killing they did by blaming the Zionist leadership for what took place.

This Shabbat, when Jews will read in their weekly Torah portion the laws of tzoraas, a form of leprosy resulting from spiritual shortcomings, the question we must ask in regard to Abu Mazen is whether "a leper can change his spots". Such a change would probably be a miracle. But isnt this also "Shabbat Hagadol" recalling the great miracle which took place for our ancestors in Egypt on the threshold of liberation?

Miracles happened then and we must pray that they continue to protect Israel forever.