I CLOSE-UP

Ambiguity

Yassir Arafat may have failed to
meet U.S. and Israeli conditions for
negotiation, but his Geneva speech
is almost certain to be divisive.

conference for peace in the Middle
East on the basis of Resolutions 242
and 338 . . ."
Arafat also said that the Palestine
National Council had "reaffirmed its
rejection of terrorism in all its forms,
including state terrorism," but stop-
ped short of recognizing Israel's right
to exist.
But while he missed his main
target — convincing the U.S. ad-
ministration that the PLO was an ac-
ceptable partner for dialogue — his
address will certainly have far-
reaching repercussions.
It will widen divisions within the
American Jewish community and
elsewhere in the Diaspora between
those who believe that the time has
come for the Israeli government to be
more flexible in its search for peace
and those who oppose breaking ranks
at almost any cost.
It will exacerbate still further the
tensions between Diaspora "peace"
groups and the Israeli government,
which is unalterably opposed to
dialogue with the PLO in any form.

If Arafat had intended to
weaken Israel
diplomatically and isolate
it from its friends — thus
making it more vulnerable
to superpower pressures —
he has probably scored a
significant victory.

A

HELEN DAVIS

Special to The Jewish News

Yassir Arafat: Divide and conquer.

lit

l assir Arafat must have
known that his- address
to the United Nations
General Assembly in
Geneva Tuesday would
not melt the hearts of Israel's leaders.
Indeed, the Israelis had printed
the press releases explaining their re-
jection of Arafat's speech fully 24
hours before the PLO leader had
arrived in Geneva and before they
even knew the details of his address.
In a powerful, , often passionate
speech to the U.N. General Assembly,
the PLO leader spoke directly to
"courageous and honorable Jewish

people . . . who recognize the equal
rights of our people to life, freedom
and independence."
Apparently attempting to drive
wedges between Israel and the other
members of the United Nations and
between the Israeli government and
people, Arafat attached "the Israeli
government's policy of repression,
massacres, expansion, settlement and
expulsion," saying, "We distinguish
between the Jewish citizen whom the
Israeli ruling circles have continuous-
ly sought to disinform and mislead,
and the practices of the leaders of
Israel:'

For the world community of na-
tions, he spelled out a three-point-
peace plan. His "Palestinian peace in-
itiative" called for a "serious effort"
to convene an international peace
conference on the Middle East under
the auspices of the United Nations
and place the Palestinian territories
currently occupied by Israel under
UN supervision. In return, the PLO
would pledge to stive for a "com-
prehensive settlement among the
parties in the Arab-Israeli dispute,
including the state of Palestine, Israel
and other neighbors, within the
framework of the international

bove all, the address,
with its powerful direct
message to Israel citi-
zens, will further pola-
rize the left and the
right, not least the factions within the
Labor Party, where a bitter debate
has been raging behind the scenes for
some months over establishing direct
contacts with the PLO.
In a wider sense, it will have the
effect of deepening Israel's diplomatic
isolation still further within the in-
ternational community.
If Arafat had intended to weaken
Israel diplomatically and isolate it
from its friends — thus making it
more vulnerable to superpower pres-
sures — he has probably scored a
significant victory. This point was not
lost on Israel, which mounted a major
public relations campaign in an at-
tempt to limit the damage.
But simply crying foul whenever
Arafat makes a statement, however
conciliatory, and not offering any

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