FLOOR SAMPLES
"the fire of mutual hatred is
spreading" and urged the
security forces to act "quick-
ly and definitively" to restore
the powers of the state.
"If we delay," it added, "we
will all be the victims of anar-
chy which is liable to break
down the foundations of the
state and the society." Equal-
ly alarmed by the gathering
crisis was the mass-
circulation Yediot Ahronot,
which found it "difficult to
select the appropriate words
to express the feeling of im-
pending disaster: the threat
that the internal unity of the
Israeli nation could be shat-
tered."
The paper noted that "if,
heaven forbid, damage were
done to Israel's unity of pur-
pose — the spring from which
we draw our spiritual and
physical powers to continue
the struggle for our survival
there will be no hope for our
existence against a hostile
world, some of which has not
abandoned its dream of wip-
ing us off the map."
Facing intense diplomatic
pressure and a growing sense
of isolation from abroad,
political and economic uncer-
tainty at home, increasing
polarization fed by the conti-
nuing, draining conflict with
the Palestinians, Israelis are
now wondering whether the
center can hold. They are also
pondering what their destiny
might be if it cannot.
There are no answers to
these questions. For the mo-
ment, at least, Israel is char-
ting unknown territory.
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Arafat
Continued from Page 5
Party leaders. While not nam-
ing names, he says he met
with "the No. 1 Israeli on the
team" — Shimon Peres.
The Laborites were
delighted with the message
Hart relayed: they should
meet with Arafat.
So Hart returned to the
United States and began the
many calls and requests that
would bring him to the PLO
leader.
Hart finally met with
Arafat in Beirut. He told him
from the start that he "ad-
Arafat pointed to
his famous dark
green military
attire and said,
`This uniform
disgusts me:
mired the Israel of the
pre-1967 borders" and that
funds for the trip had been
donated by several British
Jews, he says.
"If that's where the money
is coming from, it must be
serious," Arafat told Hart.
Arafat leaned back in his
chair, Hart says, and said: "I
am sick and tired of sending
my boys to fight a war that
can't be won by either side."
Then he pointed to his
famous dark green military
attire and told the author,
"This uniform disgusts me."
Like Israel's Labor Party
leaders, Arafat was ready to
negotiate, Hart says. But that
possibility died when Begin
was re-elected.
Ten years have passed since
Arafat first expressed an in-
terest in negotiations, and he
continues to want talks, Hart
says.
Arafat also has managed a
feat Hart calls miraculous.
"In every Palestinian there
is a terrifying conflict bet-
ween the head and the heart.
His heart is saying: we
weren't responsible for the
Holocaust, so why do we have
to make a compromise with
the Jews? The head is saying:
we have no choice but to
negotiate because Israel is
the superpower in the region.
"The miracle of Arafat's
leadership is that he has per-
suaded the vast majority of
his people to use their heads,
not their hearts."
Yet Arafat is running out of
time, Hart says. "Arafat feels
each passing day without
something concrete from
Israel poses an im-
measurable, but slow erosion
of the popular Palestinian
will for compromise.
"The Palestinians know
they're being pushed and
they're getting fed up — and
that's true not just Palesti-
nians under occupation, but
for Palestinians everywhere."
A Palestinian waiter passes
the table where Hart is
finishing his lunch. A copy of
Arafat: A Political Biography
rests nearby.
The waiter wants to know
where he can get a copy of the
book. He points to the picture
of Arafat on the cover. "He is
my leader," he says.
Hart begins questioning
him. Does he want peace? Are
the Palestinians ready to ac-
cept Israel? Are Palestinians
tired of violence?
Yes, yes, the waiter replies
wearily. He says he is tired of
waiting for his state to be
established. It makes him
restless. It makes him angry.
But he wants peace very
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