1.  The Israeli right sought to gain maximum advantage from the impact of the Gulf crisis on the image of Palestinian leadership in the West.

2.  While support for the PLO fell in the West, there was little sign of the emergence of any alternative Palestinian leadership.

3.  Further signs of divisions within the Palestinian leadership in the occupied territories emerged in March.

4.  Although Arafat has denounced previous terrorism attacks in recent months, his latest statement is somewhat unusual because it was signed by him rather than simply the Palestinian leadership.

5.  And as the United States hinted that it would like to deal with an alternative Palestinian leadership, popular support for Arafat dwindled further.

6.  Analysts say they represent the grassroots new guard of Palestinian leadership, waiting to assume power from Arafat and his peers.

7.  And those elections are an essential step toward a Palestinian leadership with legitimacy in the eyes of its own people -- which is to say the ability to govern.

8.  Arab leaders, who could lean on the Palestinian leadership to curb the bombings, greeted Powell with polite but empty gestures of support.

9.  As part of the Wye agreement, Israel demanded another meeting of the Palestinian leadership.

10.  As the violence has flared recently, Yasser Arafat has repeatedly called for a cease-fire, and the Palestinian leadership did so again on Friday.