ANNIVERSARY SALE
Dissent Over Arafat's
Peace Prize
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
B
y any standards, the tim-
ing was lousy: Early re-
ports that Palestine
Liberation Organization
Chairman Yasser Arafat would
share this year's Nobel Peace
Prize with Israeli Prime Minis-
ter Yitzhak Rabin came just as
Mr. Arafat's commitment to
peace was being put to its sever-
est test.
The reports from Oslo coincid-
ed with the strong Israeli reac-
tion to the murder of two Israeli
civilians in central Jerusalem by
terrorists representing Hamas —
murders that Mr. Arafat has
been slow to condemn.
According to reports in Nor-
sponsible for the soldier's life and
safety and for his safe and sound
return. This is the true test of the
Palestinian Authority and of your
part in carrying out the agree-
ment between us."
If confirmed, the Nobel Com-
mittee's decision could pose some
difficult political problems for Mr.
Rabin, who is trying to preserve
the momentum of the peace
process despite political anger
generated by continuing Pales-
tinian violence.
American Jewish leaders re-
acted cautiously to the early re-
ports from Oslo. Thomas
Smerling, executive director of
Project Nishma, suggested that
Friday
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Bill Clinton got Rabin and Arafat to shake hands.
wegian newspapers, the Nobel
Peace Prize committee decided
to award the prize to Mr. Rabin
and Mr. Arafat on the basis of
their Sept. 13, 1993 Declaration
of Principles — and despite dis-
sension within the committee.
A story in a Norwegian news-
paper suggested that one com-
mittee member had threatened
to resign over the decision. The
committee was expected to an-
nounce its decision on Friday.
Those reports came on the
same day an Israeli soldier, Cpl.
Nachson Waxman, was kid-
napped near Tel Aviv by Hamas
militants who demanded that Is-
rael release the group's founder,
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and 200
other prisoners. Mr. Arafat con-
demned the kidnapping and ac-
cused Hamas of trying to wreck
the Israeli-PLO autonomy agree-
ment.
But, in a telephone call on
Tuesday, Mr. Rabin told Mr.
Arafat, "You and the Palestinian
authority are responsible for
what happens in the territories
under your control. You are re-
RNS/REUTERS
the committee's reported decision
can contribute to the peace
process: "By shattering long-
standing taboos, both men have
exposed themselves to great
risks. They deserve credit for
their courage."
Seymour Reich, president of
the American Zionist Movement,
said the prize could "build up
Arafat among the Palestinians,
and give him some backbone in
dealing with extremists."
But he said that the commit-
tee had erred if, indeed, it had de-
cided to honor Mr. Arafat: "I still
can't overcome the fact that he
has engaged in so many terrorist
activities against Americans and
Israelis. I am sympathetic to the
member of the [Nobel] commit-
tee who reportedly resigned."
Morton Klein, president of the
Zionist Organization of America,
said that giving "the Nobel peace
prize to a man who has never ex-
pressed regret for his long record
of murders and who refuses to
condemn continuing terrorism,
is an insult to the memory of past
recipients." 0
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