Because A Lexus LS Is
Worth More, It Costs Less. Go Figure.
9*
44
$
o
Mideast
Arafat's Milestone
Yassir Arafat's visit to Gaza and Jericho
means the peace process is real —
and there's no turning back now.
For 24 Months
INA FRIEDMAN ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT
if
•• • • • • • • ::• • • • • • • • • • • • •
:
•
: • •
• • • • • • • • • • ••• • •••
•• • • • • • • • • •
•
..... . .
• • • • • • • • •
. . ...
Lease A New Lexus For Less Than 1989.
LEXUS OF LANSING
The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
For a personal showing:
Call 1-800-539-8748 OR 1-800-LEXUS-4-U
Exit 104 off 1-96 • 5709 S. Pennsylvania, Lansing • 517/394-8000 (CALL COLLECT)
Remember... The Fleischman Residence/Blumberg Plaza
•
6710 West Maple
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
on the Jewish Community Campus
"assistance with daily living is what we do best."
For a complimentary
lunch, tour and
geriatric assessment,
please contact
Mr. William Israel
has planted in his
summer garden at
the Fleischman
Residence for ten
years and he couldn't
be happier.
Carol Rosenberg,
Administrator at
(810) 661 - 2999.
ARNOLD
Automotive Group Ltd.
Gratiot Ave. at 12 Mile Road, Roseville, Michigan
445-6080
"lust 25 ntleut,‘ from the Birmingham/Bloomfield area
off 1-696 "
a
Find It All In
■
MERCURY
LINCOLN
445-6000
The Jewish News
Classifieds
Call 354-5959
assir Arafat's five-day vis-
it to Gaza and Jericho fi-
nally accomplished, for
Palestinians and Israelis,
what had been so sorely lacking
during the weeks of dithering and
delay since Israeli troops with-
drew from the two areas: It drove
home, to both peoples, the new
reality that has been slowly over-
taking them.
For the past nine months, the
full implications of the Oslo and
Cairo agreements have remained
remote (for Israelis) and frus-
tratingly vague (for Palestinians).
But Mr. Arafat's arrival has
changed all that. For one thing,
it's clear — now that a leader is
in charge — that Gaza and Jeri-
cho no longer are occupied, no
longer territories, and no longer
"Yesha." Instead, they are, quite
plainly, Palestine.
Mr. Arafat formally estab-
lished the Palestinian Authority,
a major step that was long over-
due. Even beforehand, he had
spent his days and nights in Gaza
culling support for the new gov-
ernment — and for his own per-
sonal standing since he had
arrived in Gaza with his popu-
larity dangerously low.
Indeed, the turnout to greet
him was smaller than expected,
considering the magnitude of the
occasion. Poor organization and
the sizzling heat sent much of the
crowd packing almost as soon as
he began his speech, which was
muted, statesmanlike and calcu-
lated, above all, not to antagonize
anyone: Not Hamas (which has
a strong following in Gaza). Not
the Arab states (his once-and-fu-
ture bankers). Not Israel (which
he praised as his partner in the
"peace of the brave").
Soon, though, Gazan Pales-
tinians began seeing Mr. Arafat,
the consummate politician: Tak-
ing charge, mending fences, es-
tablishing a clear agenda. "Unity,
national unity" was a constant
refrain in his public appearances
and closed meetings. He tried to
placate peeved younger leaders
of his Fatah movement, who had
harbored hopes of gaining influ-
ential positions in the new ad-
ministration only to find they
were being squeezed out by the
"parvenus" from Tunis.
"Democracy" was another
word that got an ample airing, for
Mr. Arafat evidently had heeded
warnings from his opposition that
despite what he practiced in Tu-
nis, one-man rule won't go down
well in Palestine. Nor did he
evade the issue of Palestinian
prisoners still in Israeli jails, al-
though the most he could offer
was a plea for patience and the
conviction that "God will help."
Above all, Mr. Arafat turned
his attention to the desperate eco-
nomic situation in his new realm.
Here lies the heart of the matter:
Every unemployed laborer in
Gaza is adept at explaining that
"Abu Ammar must get money
from the wealthy Arab states,
from the West, even from Israel.
If he doesn't, the peace process
It's clear that Gaza
and Jericho no
longer are occupied,
no longer territories,
andare, quite
plainly, Palestine.
Israel's rhetorical
mayhem went on
while a paternal
Arafat wooed his
people as "my
brothers, my
beloved."
will be destroyed." And that, es-
pecially now, is unthinkable to
Palestinians.
Grasping the huge amount of
work to be done, Mr. Arafat
vowed to settle in Gaza perma-
nently next weekend and get
down to serious business. Long
the symbol of the Palestinian rev-
olution, he must now prove, at 64,
that he can change his role, his
image, his inimitable ways to
meet the challenge of building
and running the Palestinian
state-in-the-making.
In recent days, the Palestinian
leader has met many well-wish-
ers, and he knows that many oth-
ers — especially in Israel — hope
he will fail. Then again, Israelis
must deal with their own agen-
da. Taking Mr. Arafat's presence
in Gaza as a personal affront, Is-
raeli right-wingers held a mass
demonstration in Jerusalem,
chanting "Death to the Arabs"
and "Rabin is a traitor" and ram-
paging through parts of east
Jerusalem.
Ultimately, however, all that
frenetic activity seemed a