Former US President Bill Clinton said last night he believes Yasser Arafat wants peace with Israel but that the Palestinian president may be held back by the threat of Islamic extremism.
"Does he want peace? I think he does," Mr Clinton told more than 600 people at a Jewish synagogue in suburban Philadelphia.
"But when you ask yourself does he want peace, it's a simpler question for you than it is for him."
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Mr Clinton failed to broker a lasting Mideast peace between Mr Arafat and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak in the waning days of his presidency last year.
Mr Arafat, as president of the Palestinian Authority, has been blamed by US and Israeli leaders for the violence that has killed 383 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 73 Israelis since a Palestinian uprising began in September.
"If he had taken the deal Barak put on the table, there still would have been more than enough people in various Palestinian groups thinking that he should be murdered," Mr Clinton said.
Mr Clinton, who stepped down in January after eight years in the White House, put in a 90 minute appearance at the synagogue as part of his post-presidential speaking engagements that often take place behind closed doors.
Yesterday's event was open to members of the public willing to spend up to $200 for a reserved seat in the auditorium or up to $625 to have dinner with the former president.
