THE JEWISH NEWS THIS ISSUE 60¢ SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY Arab Unrest Takes New Dangerous Form HELEN DAVIS Israel Correspondent Jerusalem — Once upon a time, it was enough to call out the fire brigade to quell disturbances in Judea and Samaria — also known as the West Bank — and Gaza. The firemen turn- ed on the hoses and the Palestinians simply melted back into their homes. But no more. Today, 20 years later, the children of those demonstrators, like the children of Soweto, are con- temptuous of such timidity. Imbued with a powerful nationalist and religious purpose and animated by a profound sense of op- pression, they are defiantly facing down Israeli troops who do not shrink from using live ammunition. The immediate cause of the latest disturbances are to be found in two unconnected incidents: the fatal stab- bing of an Israeli merchant in Gaza City two weeks ago and a subsequent traffic accident in which four Gaza residents were killed. Rumors abounded that the Israeli driver had deliberately rammed his truck into the Palestinians as an act of revenge for the stabbing. Nourished in aggrieved minds, the rumors became reality. Passions flared and the young people of Gaza — an overcrowded, overheated, over- sized slum — took to the streets. The sense of outrage quickly spread, setting fire to the West Bank and engulfing not only the students but also the merchants of the major cities — Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron — who showed their support for the youngsters by shutting their shops in a strike of solidarity. Never mind that a certain amount of "persuasion" coercion, threats and intimidation was necessary to impel the businessmen to act. The combined effect was to afflict Israel's security Sonny Is Sunny CLOSE-UP ISRAEL JOURNAL: THE ENDLESS BALANCING Continued on Page 10 Curbing The Coverage Stung by a wave of damaging publicity during the latest bloody convulsions in the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli officials are reported to be considering ways of imposing greater control over the media. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was reported to have complained that television coverage of the unrest had inflicted deep wounds on Israel among its allies in the United States and Europe. He was also reported to have asked Chief of Staff Dan Shomron to consider ways of curbing the coverage. The officials have not produced a blueprint for inhibiting press DECEMBER 25, 1987 / 4 TEVET 5748 freedom, but they appear intent on using "security" as a pretext for keeping the journalists and televi- sion crews away from the action. Avi Pazner, the Prime Minister's media adviser, sounded an ominous note this week when he acknowledged that Shamir had indeed discussed media coverage of the unrest with General Shomron. Shamir, he said, had expressed concerned about the safety of jour- nalists in the field and also about the interference they caused to Israeli troops during the upheavals. "There were certain in- cidents in which journalists took A recent conference of Jewish journalists from all over the world explored the inherent tensions between advocacy and objectivity. And visits with Israelis revealed their visions and realities. Continued on Page 22 Singles Sign Up Prime Minister Shamir addresses Jewish media conference.