Dayan stated that he felt isolated from the Palestinian autonomy talks and was reduced to handling marginal foreign policy chores.

But the two parties have been down this road before, at the autonomy talks at Camp David.

"The extension of the autonomy talks should be in Washington and this depends very much upon other Arab countries coming in," he said.

"Without this demographic revolution, there is no reason to hold autonomy talks as there now is a risk of a Palestinian state."

The wisest course is not to break off the autonomy talks but to conclude the present round as rapidly as possible.

Turning over the policing of Palestinian residential areas to a Palestinian force, as envisioned in the autonomy talks, might prevent another Hebron.

Kurds say Iraqi forces have attacked Kurdish villages as autonomy talks have faltered.

Kurdish leaders announced on Jan. 15 that they would suspend autonomy talks with the government until after leadership elections scheduled for April 3.

When he took the new position, Israel and Egypt were six months into their autonomy talks for Palestinians, but the negotiations had stalled.

The fraudulence of this kind of autonomy talk is obvious when it's applied to poverty.