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November 30, 2001/Kislev 15, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 12
'Quiet rule' could benefit Israel
JONATHAN FRIENDLY
Jewish Renaissance Media
Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has made his point about the indifference of the Palestinian leadership to stopping organized terrorist acts. Now that the United States has demanded a 100-percent effort by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to stop the violence, Sharon should recalibrate his strategy and accept a process that could reduce violence on both sides.
For months, Sharon has insisted that a six-week cooling off period cannot begin until seven consecutive days pass with no Palestinian attacks on Israelis. But hardly an hour has passed without such violence. From Nov. 10-18, according to Sharon, Palestinian terrorists launched 268 attacks, killing five people and injuring 59.
Arafat said he has been trying to stop the incidents by arresting terrorist leaders. But many in the Sharon government say the arrests are a sham and that the terrorists are released within hours. In his Mideast policy speech last week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell implicitly agreed, saying the Palestinians must "arrest, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of terrorist acts" and that he wanted to see "real results, not just words and declarations."
Many of the terrorist factions privately harbor hopes to take over if and when Arafat's leadership ends, so they have incentive to delay any peace process. Sharon's insistence for "complete calm, no terrorism, no attacks, no incitement and no violence. Seven days of testing, no less," gives terrorists a stranglehold on achieving a truce.
Furthermore, some Israeli actions have made it easier for Arafat to plead his case internationally.
The military incursions into six Palestinian cities following the assassination of Tourism Minister Avraham Zeevi were probably necessary. But they certainly heightened Palestinian anger as they dragged on to no apparent security gain. Israel has not loosened its economic stranglehold on the West Bank and Gaza, giving the appearance of imposing a unilateral collective punishment on a people whose greatest misfortune now is their immoral leadership. And, as Powell noted, Israel continues to allow expansion of housing in settlement areas that would almost certainly have to go over to Palestinian control under any long-range agreement for a Palestinian state with well-defined borders.
The Powell speech was an acknowledgment that the United States cannot continue to sit on the sidelines and expect Sharon and Arafat to make progress. But his tough approach to Palestinian violence affirms that Israel holds the moral high ground and can afford to risk negotiating before gaining 100 percent quiet.
Israel cannot realistically expect an end to the terror. The prime minister needs to show the world that he is sincere in working for a meaningful armistice. Perhaps he could settle for 95 percent tranquility.
It is galling that Israel must repeatedly demonstrate that it truly does want to live with its neighbors and that it does not fear a Palestinian state based on assured recognition of mutually acceptable borders. But it is a fact of global life. By easing the "seven days of quiet" rule just a bit, Sharon would risk little and could gain a lot.
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