Two Mideast Enemies, A Shared Problem

May 14 -- Both Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat are under fire for their positions toward the crisis in the Middle East. But the criticism is coming from unexpected groups — those directly connected to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, respectively.

The negative reactions to Sharon and Arafat from people who should support them raises a crucial question. How will the internal political pressures on these two men impact any hope for peace in the region?

A look at the events of the past two days shows the topsy-turvey world Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian leader Arafat find themselves in.

Arafat Steps Out

After nearly six months of confinement at his headquarters in Ramallah, Arafat ventured out Monday in a Jordanian helicopter to see for himself the results of last month's fighting. It was supposed to be a trip to reassert his authority.

His first stop was Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, where for 39 days Palestinian gunmen held out against Israel's army. Inside, clerics and officials competed to show Arafat the damage. But outside the church, crowds were sparse.

Many Palestinians don't like the deal Arafat struck to end the siege at the church. The fact that 13 of the gunmen — men they say defended Palestinians — were sent into exile in foreign countries.

Increasingly, Palestinians are willing to criticize.

"[Arafat] has enemies among the Palestinian population," Adel al Jubeir, foreign policy adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, told Nightline. "The important thing is to support him as the legitimate head of the Palestinian authority and try to move this process forward."

At the Jenin refugee camp, thousands turned out to see Arafat — but the chants were not for him. The biggest hero here is the head of the militant Islamic Jihad group, who was killed by Israel in the battle that destroyed so much of this camp.

One man interviewed by ABCNEWS said in Arabic that Arafat's Palestinian officials abandoned the camp when the fighting started. Since then, residents say, the Palestinian authority has given them no help putting their lives back together.