Israeli prime minister Barak and Palestinian leader Arafat have agreed to meet US president Clinton in Washington. The two will meet Clinton separately, first Arafat and then Barak. Arafat has a tiger by the tail. He has gotten behind the violence, but until peace returns there can be no progress on a deal with Israel. And as long as the violence continues, hardliners on both sides make an agreement more difficult to achieve. Arafat continues to lose control to hard liners the longer the violence continues. Meanwhile, Israel continues to withdraw armored vehicles from the scene of the most violence, and Palestinian police continue to get more and more rock throwing Palestinians away from the areas where most of the violence takes place (key crossroads between Palestinian and Israeli territory.)