Writing this has been painful. As the streets of the West Bank and Gaza run with the blood of our children, the nightmares of the past and present must give way to the dreams of the future. Who can deny that there are two streams: one from the past and one from the future. It is in the Soul where the streams merge. We Palestinians alone, must delve into our "Collective Soul" for liberation. We must not let the blood of our young martyrs die in vain.

We have all been engaged in this struggle for too many years to count. You Mr. Arafat have served OUR cause for many years. You have sacrificed your life for your people. As the hourglass of time runs with inexorable persistence, we must make decisions before the last grain of sand passes. Those who have given their lives to the struggle call from the grave for one last sacrifice:

Mr. Arafat, in the name of God Almighty, resign.

You might ask why it is such that this request be made now? The answer is that we are on the verge of freedom. The justice of our cause has always given us the strength to endure. Our people have been like willows that know what the storm knows not...that the power to endure harm outlives the power to inflict it. We have always known that Israel, with all her might and US backing, cannot overcome the will of our people. Victory was and is, not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when."

It is because I believe that the time of our victory is close at hand that it is incumbent upon us to ask what kind of victory do our martyrs deserve? To the tens of thousands that have given their lives, they cry from the grave for a Palestine that will be free from corruption. They cry for a Palestine that seeks legitimacy from the will of our people. They cry for a democratic state. Who will best represent their memories going forward?

Your lasting legacy shall be preserved forever if you resign now and have an orderly transition to the next phase in our struggle; the building of an infrastructure of institutions devoid of corruption and the heavy hand. Let this letter be a call from the wilderness. Even if it be a solitary request, it is born from a sincerity of the heart. The request is not born from enmity, but from necessity.

Mr. Arafat, in the name of God Almighty, resign.