“Let us start evaluating the election of a new president in Iran by flashing back 20 years to the words of Israel’s then-prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin. On a historic morning, September 13, 1993, on the South Lawn of the White House, he signed a framework for peace with Yasser Arafat. Yet Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians continued.

Rabin was repeatedly asked how he could keep negotiating with Arafat. His formulation still seems perfect for the Middle East of today: “We shall negotiate peace as though there were no terrorism, and we shall fight terrorism as though there is no peace.”

The Obama administration and its Western allies would be wise to adopt the same stand toward Iran: Resume the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, but don’t lift the sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to stop it. Perhaps even tighten the sanctions, to show that the West is losing patience.”

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