It’s the beginning of the end of an era for Palestine.

That’s the perspective of Palestinian Haider Qleibo, graduate assistant in electrical and computer engineering, as Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat remains on life support in a French hospital and shows no sign of ever returning to a leadership position for Palestinians.

Qleibo said he believes if Arafat dies, the transition to a new leader may not be completely smooth.

“President Yasser Arafat never designated a clear successor,” Qleibo said. “Having disorder and chaos is what the Israeli government would like to see, and I believe the Palestinians are fully aware of that. They would try to restrain their differences and stay together facing upcoming challenges.”

Israeli and ISU alumna Pnina Luban, an Ames resident, said she disagreed with Qleibo.

“I think Israel is not making too much of a prediction, they’re just getting prepared,” Luban said. “It might go pretty smoothly if the Palestinian Authority is taking appropriate actions and if Arafat is replaced with a responsible group leader.”

Others see hope for peace in the Mideast and the stability of Palestine after Arafat’s death.

“With the passing of Arafat, there’s a real opportunity for the Palestinians to come together and systematically organize themselves,” said Arab-American Basil Mahayni, senior in political science.

Mahayni said because Arafat has been marginalized in the past few years, the Palestinians have not been an equal partner in the politics of the region.

But Luban said Arafat is the reason Palestine and Israel continue to have a hostile relationship.

“Arafat was absolutely the obstacle,” she said. “With him gone, hopefully this is the window of opportunity and the door is opening for the future and a two-state opportunity.”

Luban said one of Arafat’s biggest mistakes was rejecting an offer made by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2000 that would have established a Palestinian state.

“There was a wonderful offer on the table and he refused it,” Luban said.

Mahayni, however, said the deal was not fair to the Palestinians, and the United States has continuously sided with Israel against Palestine.

“You cannot easily say that the United States is an equal partner in trying to create peace in the region when it tilts to one side so strongly,” she said.

Mahayni said he believes it is unfair to blame all the violence in the region on Arafat.

“Arafat’s corrupt, but the extent of the violence is much larger than him,” Mahayni said.

Luban said it was important that Arafat’s successor not be a member of one of the extremist groups in Palestine.

“The hope is that the more moderate voice will come to be the decision group and the more extremist groups will be marginalized,” she said.

The best hope for Palestine, Mahayni said, is to have a leader who is committed to trying to establish democratic practices among the Palestinian people.