Three times in their history – in 1937,1947, and 2000 – the Palestinians were offered a state, and three times their leaders failed to meet the challenge – admittedly never an easy one for a nation built on such an unwavering ethos of dispossession. Today, when America finally understands how vital an Israeli-Palestinian peace is for its fortunes in the broader Middle East, and the Arab world is for the first time committed to pursuing a comprehensive settlement with Israel, anarchic Palestinian politics is making a decision for peace well nigh impossible.