But Sharon followed the playbook of former President Richard Nixon by taking the gamble for long-term security needs. Nixon used Alger Hiss as his "bloody shirt' and was a cold warrior in every way possible, but took the trip to open Red China with diplomacy. Sharon was a hawk and creator of the right-wing Likud Party who decided the long-term interest of Israel outweighed his own personal limitation on understanding Palestinian rights.

Today all that stands in limbo as Sharon faces death. But what he started need not face a political death. Polls show that while Israelis understand security needs, they also understand the shifting demographics in their country and the necessity of making peace. With the elections still slated for late March the world hopes that as a lasting tribute to Sharon's new found ideas a centrist leadership will be elected, and continued progress can be made towards Palestinian statehood. (Israelis often use other language, but any objective worldview is that Israel took land in wars that now needs to be returned, and a Palestinian state needs to be created.)

With this very complex mix of internal politics and sorrow for Israel now, others will need to ante up and show solid kinship with the notion of peace and equality for Palestinians. The United States must provide more than lip service to the region, and a high profile envoy with proven negotiating skills and a free hand for making deals must be placed in the region at once.

Palestinian political groups also have to end their fractured existence with each other and unite for the broader goals they espouse. They need to unite on the upcoming parliamentary elections and demand the right of those who live in occupied East Jerusalem to also have the right to cast a ballot. America needs to lean heavily on Israel now, even in this time of turmoil.