As the world begins to recognize that a negotiated settlement between Yasser Arafat and Israel can never be achieved - and should never be achieved - it's time to explore more radical ideas.

Arafat always wants more. No proposal for peace will ever be enough because, ultimately, his goal is the destruction of the state of Israel.

Part of the answer, of course, is eliminating Arafat from the equation. He's a terrorist. He's an unrepentant murderer of Israelis and Americans. He's part of the problem, not the solution.

The bigger problem is Islamic domination of the Mideast. The only way there will be peace for Christians and Jews in the region is through the creation of defensible borders.

Israel has defensible borders now. That's why Arafat is trying to break them down. Israel must not allow that to happen.

But what about Christians in the Middle East?

There are millions of them still - even though millions more have been killed or fled official repression and persecution. Rather than dismantle the tiny Jewish state, we should be talking about creating a bastion where Christians can live in peace and with freedom.

Lebanon is the place.

While Arafat steps up persecution of Christians in Bethlehem and Ramallah and throughout his Palestinian Authority territories, Syria, through military occupation of Lebanon, is making Lebanon a hell for the people who once dominated the free and independent country.

The rollback of Syrian occupation should be the No. 1 focal point in any serious effort to achieve Middle East peace. Let Lebanon be Lebanon. Let's have at least two free states in the Middle East. Let's force Syria out. Let's make sure Damascus never gets the idea of imposing its will on Beirut again. In the war on terrorism, this is a vital objective, because Syria has established Lebanon as a major base of terrorist activity.

If we're serious about this war, we cannot stop in Afghanistan. Lebanon has been a hub of terrorist activity ever since the Syrian troops moved in. This is the way Syria sponsors terrorism - by using another sovereign nation as the staging ground. This practice cannot be tolerated any longer.

The first step is recognition of the facts. The U.S. needs to object loudly and strenuously to this outrage. Syria needs to be put on notice. Damascus needs to be warned and given a very short timetable for withdrawal of all military forces from Lebanon. If its troops don't leave, they need to be forced out.

The next step is destruction of Lebanon's terrorist bases - all of them.

And just like in Afghanistan, a new regime - one supported by the people of Lebanon - needs to be installed. Free elections, without coercion from a foreign power, need to be scheduled. Human rights need to be respected again.

Some might say this objective is beyond our means. Yet, there are people in Lebanon just waiting for the relief. They want to be liberated, just as the people of Afghanistan wanted to be liberated. Lebanon, on the other hand, is a much smaller country and more strategically located.

Lebanon has more potential for self-governance because of its recent experience with it. There's a great opportunity to establish another beachhead for freedom - freedom that can be defended with borders and force.

People don't like to talk about force. They like to think negotiations and pieces of paper can protect people. They cannot. That fact should be apparent to even the most casual observer of Middle East politics by now.

The battle lines have never been more clear. Yes, Arafat is the enemy. He is the enemy of peace. He is the enemy of freedom. So is Syria. Its continued occupation of Lebanon is evidence of that. Its sponsorship of terrorism is evidence of that.

It's time to recognize the enemy. It's time to stop mincing words. It's time to stop supporting them as we do with Arafat. It's time to warn them of what's coming. And then it will be time to clean house - as we are doing in Afghanistan.

You want a prescription for peace? That's mine. As long as we remain ambiguous with our enemies - with people seeking to destroy our way of life and oppress their own people - we will continue to live with the daily terrorism, the increasing body counts and, step by step, we will lose our resolve in an endless war of attrition.

Instead, it's a time for decisive action - and decisive victory.