I NEWS I

Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts

ANNUAL
AUGUST
SALE

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Jewelry

■

Leather

■

Wearables

■
■
■

Ceramics

Glass

Wood

FIGHT
THE BIG "F"...

301 Fisher Bldg

FURl1 ITCRE
FADING

Detroit, Ml

48202
Mon-Sat

SOLAR SALES, INC,
537-7900

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 11-5
873 7888

Authorized

Dealer/Applicator

Visit the Garden Cafe, serving from 11 to 3.

Sun Control Products

The City o f Southfield presents

1 - 2:15 p.m.

The Amazement Park Revue (Cedar Point)

2:30 - 4 p.m.

National Frog Jumping Championships

4 - 5 p.m.

5:45 - 6:45 p.m.

Wayne- State University Jazz Band

Ursula Walker & Buddy Budson

ALSO:
• Jugglers
• Mimes
• Magician
• Fun characters in costume
• Free balloons
• Free drawing for prizes

1111FIELD

family
affair

t

Game booth proceeds
benefit sponsoring
non-profit organizations

For more information, contact the
City's Housing and Neighborhood
Center, 354-4400.

18

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1988

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Hussein

Continued from Page 1

the "sole legitimate represen-
tative of the Palestinian peo-
ple" and he wholeheartedly
supported its call for the crea-
tion of an independent
Palestinian state in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
This dramatic announce-
ment closely followed two
earlier weekend decisions:
• That Jordan had canceled
its five-year, $1.3 billion, West
Bank development plan,
launched in November 1986,
which was designed to im-
prove the quality of life for
- Palestinians living in the ter-
ritories;
• That the king had dis-
solved the Jordanian parlia-
ment, one- half of whose
members represent West
Bank constituencies.
Both acts, economic and
political, were of great sym-
bolic importance and ap-
peared to demonstrate that
King Hussein was, indeed,
serious about severing his
rump kingdom from the West
Bank, which was annexed by
Jordan and ruled until the
Israeli conquest in June 1967.
The $64 question is
whether Hussein, a wily
operator who has survived
more than 35 years in one of
the world's hottest political
spots, really means business.
Despite his high-flown tele-
vision rhetoric, there is much
to suggest that he is, in fact,
engaged in a complex
maneuver designed to out-
flank the PLO and reassert
his authority more strongly
than ever over the West Bank
population.
The king's weekend deci-
sions and subsequent declara-
tion were ostensibly made to
satisfy PLO demands that he
lower his public profile in the
West Bank.
Senior Middle East
analysts, however, are skep-
tical that Hussein is now
preparing to throw in his
hand and deliver the West
Bank on a platter to Arafat,
his arch-rival for the past two
decades.
Over the years, Hussein
and Arafat have played a
bloody cat-and-mouse game
in their quest for power and
influence in the West Bank,
which is regarded by Jordan
as part of the Hashemite
kingdom and by the PLO as
the Palestinian heartland.
The king does have legiti-
mate concerns and he could
make a strong case for final-
ly severing all ties with the
West Bank and its 850,000
restive Palestinians.
He must be deeply troubled
by Israel's inability to pro-
duce a military solution to
the eight-month-old intifada
(uprising) or seriously to

address the possibility of a
political solution.
These twin failures have
provoked corresponding ques-
tions in the mind of the
Jordanian monarch, whose
overriding consideration is
always one of survival:
First, if Israel is unable to
stem the tide of the intifada,
how long will it take before
the religious and political
fever that is raging on the
West Bank infects the majori-
ty Palestinian population in
his own kingdom? -
Second, if the growing
security threat pushes
Israelis further to the right,

The smart money
now is on Hussein
emerging with his
prestige enhanced.

how long will it take before a
future leader decides to solve
the problem by simply push-
ing the West Bank Palesti-
nians, all of whom are Jorda-
nian citizens, across the
border into Jordan?
Either of these scenarios
could seriously destabilize the
Hashemite throne and it
might make short-term sense
for the king to cut his losses.
In the long term, it would
mean a build-up of resent-
ment among his Palestinian
population in Jordan who
would be deprived of access to
relatives on the West Bank; it
would mean Hussein forever
losing his West Bank bread-
basket; and it would mean
the permanent renunciation
of his right to the richest
prize of all: Jerusalem.
While it is entirely possible
that the king will continue
down the road to disengage-
ment, it is equally likely that
he has embarked on an exer-
cise in brinkmanship, at
which he is an accomplished
player.
lb understand Hussein's
moves, however, it is
necessary to understand the
context of his current predica-
ment.
After eight months of the
intifada, it is clear that the
Palestinians under Israeli oc-
cupation look to Arafat, not
Hussein, for their inspiration,
guidance and leadership.
In demanding that King
Hussein reduce his contacts
with the West Bank, Arafat
may have been seeking to
press this advantage.
He may also, according to
Middle East observers, have
been carried away by the suc-
cess of the intifada, by his
unrivaled popularity among
the Palestinians, and by the
enthusiastic reception he
received at the recent Arab

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