BY AP PHOTO/J

Tenuous Progress

Israeli
soldiers and
children
near the
gate of Beit
Hadassah in
Hebron.

The
Palestinian
mood
still
offers a
frightening
mix.

ERIC SILVER

ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT

ast weekend the hills around the Old is a "friend and partner in peace." He only independent columnist in the Al Ayam
City rattled with firecrackers day and once mentioned Jerusalem, which both daily paper, is that "standing firm behind
night until early in the morning. leaders claim as their capital.
a clear policy pays." Mr. Nofal, a former
Dozens of anxious residents,
The sub-text was clear: If Palestinians leading light in the rejectionist Democ-
Jews and Arabs, swamped the po- and Israelis can share control of Hebron, ratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine,
lice switchboard asking whether terror- they can share control of Jerusalem; if the has become a pragmatic supporter of the
ists were attacking.
Arabs of Hebron can be "liberated," so can 1993 Oslo peace accord since he returned
It's the noisiest Ramadan since I came those of Jerusalem.
from exile two years ago. Although Al
to this city 25 years ago.
Ayam is a pro-regime paper, Mr. Nofal is
But the assault was more subtle, more
widely read and respected by the Pales-
political than military. The fireworks were
tinian public because he is not a Mr.
a gift of the Palestinian Authority, ferried
Arafat groupie.
in from Rarnallah, its de facto West Bank
He rejoiced that the "steadfastness" of
capital, and discreetly distributed by ac-
the Palestinian negotiators had overcome
tivists in Yassir Arafat's Al Fatah orga-
both Israeli and United States resistance.
nization to celebrate the Muslim holy
Mr. Netanyahu's ideology, he added,
month.
The Palestinian leader's standing with had crumbled in the face of a new reality
The Palestinians were flexing their his own people has been enhanced by the on the ground and a new Palestinian de-
muscles, asserting the Arab character Hebron agreement, negotiated over four termination at the negotiating table. "If
of their segment of Jerusalem. Of course, nit-picking months with the new right- we keep up the pressure," Mr. Nofal con-
the exuberance was magnified by the Is- wing coalition government. For all the cluded, "more of our people can be liber-
raeli troop redeployment from most of He- continuing social, economic and human ated from occupation, more of our land
bron, another disputed holy city.
rights problems still besetting them, the can be regained."
There, Mr Arafat was a model of tact Palestinians are embracing him this Ra-
Paradoxically, the Arabs of Hebron
when he spoke on Sunday. Israel Prime madan as a winner.
were less exultant than those of
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, he said,
The lesson, wrote Mamdouh Nofal, an
PROGRESS page 72

Yassir Arafat's star is
high after Hebron. It can
fall just as easily.