UNIVERSAL GENEVE
3ie
AftP1
After Netanya
Even Israel's dovish president wants to put the
peace talks on hold.
INA FRIEDMAN ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT
T
hree bombs went off in Is-
rael last Sunday with de-
cidedly different effects.
Two were set off by a sui-
cide bomber at a kiosk in Bet Lid,
inland from Netanya, killing 18
Israeli soldiers and one civilian
and wounding more than 60 oth-
ers (eight critically). The third
was a political bombshell,
dropped in the media by Presi-
dent Ezer Weizman. Mr. Weiz-
man called for suspending peace
talks with the Palestine Libera-
tion Organization so that the Is-
raeli government can reconsider
its course of action.
Mr. Weizman, a man famed
for shooting from the hip, pledged .
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Ezer Weizman: A bombshell.
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to control that particular trait
upon ascending to the stately po-
sition of president (a figurehead
post that requires its incumbent
to refrain from intervening in pol-
itics and policy). As president, he
has dropped a bomb or two, with
minimal repercussions. This time
may be different, precisely be-
cause the attack came from a
man of clearly dovish leanings.
Mr. Weizman's bombshell
highlighted the growing suspi-
cion that the Palestinians are de-
liberately combining negotiations
and terrorism. It is true that at
least since last May, when au-
tonomy went into effect in Gaza
and Jericho, it is not the PLO but
the Islamic opposition that has
carried out the attacks. Yet it is
equally undeniable that Yasser
Arafat is doing precious little to
prevent terrorism, as required by
the Gaza-Jericho Agreement.
After Sunday's attack, Mr
Arafat begged off condemning th
terrorism publicly, lamely claim
ing that his adviser, Dr. Ahme
Tibi, already had done so. ReL,
ing that evasion as yet anothe
failure of leadership, Mr. Wei2
man reflected that if Mr. Arafa
"has no influence on the Pales
tinian [people], perhaps he's nc
the right man to be talking to."1
Looking to Mr. Arafat for lead
ership also assumes that th
Palestinian security forces hav
a better chance of quashing t ee
rorism, at its source, than Isra\
has of thwarting it. And most
perts now agree. One reason i
the loss of Israel's leverage in the
field. As former Gene
al Security Service
(Shabak) agent Shim
Romach explained, the
difficulties Shaba
faces in maintaining it
formers in the a(,'
tonomous Palestinia
areas has greatly 7
duced its ability to fo
attacks in the plannin
stage. The same is 1:q
coming true in the We
Bank, as informers -
anticipating Israel
withdrawal — brea
ties with Israeli ageni
there, too.
Palestinian securni
services face no such
problem. All they rEi
quire to crack terrori,
cells, most Israeli e;
perts believe, is a dire
tive from Mr. Arafa
Or, in the words
Yediot Aharonot sect
rity analyst Ron Berl,
Yishai: "Those who are really a':\
to fight against suicide bombes
are the Palestinians themselve
Thus Israel's main effort shou
be to 'help' the Palestinians d
tide that terrorism contradic
their interests."
The question of how to do so
whether by shoring up Mr. Are
as Israel's only negotiating par
ner or by pressing him to the w_,a
— is complex. It does appear
the chairman will go a long NAT.z
to keep the peace process mo-
ing. The irony is that he has bee
resisting heavy pressure from h
own people to call off the talks.
has come not just from the I
lamic and leftist opposition bt
even from the mainstream FI
tah, particularly over Israel's e
pansion of West Ba r
settlements. A recent poll takt
by the Center for Palestinian R
search and Studies shows th
52.1 percent of the Palestinian