Tffig,4 ment improves Israeli security "Israel didn't allow Arafat to enter Palestine until he promised to satisfy all their demands," she says, echoing a popular Palestinian gripe about the peace process. A provision of the Wye agreement calling on Israel to release 750 impris- oned Palestinians offers her little hope. "Arafat might then agree to arrest those who were released," she says cynically. Immediately after the Wye agree- ment was signed, Palestinian police launched a series of measures against Islamist groups. Journalists — including several rep- resenting Western news agencies were detained for interviewing Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas who vowed that the new accord would not prevent Hamas ter- ror cells from carrying out attacks. Another prominent Islamic cleric in Nablus opposed to the agreement was also arrested. And in an ominous sign of possible Palestinian infighting to come, Palestinian police raided an office of Fatah, Arafat's own political move- ment, in a search for documents and illegal weapons. The raid sparked a clash Sunday between Palestinian security forces and Fatah activists in which one Palestinian teen-ager died after being shot twice in the head. Fatah leaders are now demanding that those respon- sible for the shooting be executed. Many Palestinians see the new to quell opposition to Arafat and the peace process and to satisfy Israel. According-to Bassem Eid, executive director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, some 150 Palestinians have been locked up with- out trial and another 500 are impris- oned- without trial either for allegedly collaborating with Israel or for crimi- nal offenses. Dozens more alleged ter- rorists have been convicted through the state security courts, which snatch suspects from their homes for mid- night trials. These moves allow the Palestinian Authority to show Israel that it is crack- ing down on terrorism while avoiding Israeli demands for extradition. Eid and other human rights moni- tors say Israeli security demands, backed by the United States, only push the Palestinian Authority to con- travene international standards of human rights. "The Americans and Israelis are supporting Arafat's dictatorial tenden- cies," says Eid. Last week, Human Rights Watch, an international human rights group, warned that the Wye agreement — which calls in part for CIA officials to monitor Palestinian compliance on security issues — could deal a further blow to Palestinian democracy. Some U.S. officials say CIA involve- ment in Palestinian security could lead to an improvement, since the CIA may try to train Palestinian security forces in less controversial methods. The gradual transfer of West Bank land to Palestinian control has made it easier for Israelis to ignore what goes on next door. During the Intifada, the 1987-1993 Palestinian upris- ing, many Israelis felt uncom- fortable with the way the army was behaving. "But now, Israelis are build- ing a cognitive partition that runs pretty much along the Green Line," the pre-1967 bor- der separating Israel from the West Bank, says Tamar Hermann of Tel Aviv University. A soldier stands guard at the entrance to the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem last week. "There is less and less inter- est among Israelis in what goes crackdown as a continuation of on in the Palestinian areas," she-says. Arafat's thuggish policies since his "And the type of regime being estab- arrival in the Palestinian areas in 1994. lished there doesn't interest them in In areas it controls, the nascent the least." Palestinian regime has used many con- The message that is constantly troversial methods reminiscent of communicated to the Palestinians is Israel's occupation — including tor- `Stop terrorism — and we don't care ture and administrative detention — how you do it.' " AN KE PROSIPM , ? sap With Coupon Expires 12-31-98 'NA ?, wag & a 15% Special Package Discount • Gently eliminates undesirable hair • Customized treatment with non-invasive, non-laser light therapy • Impairs hair regrowth • Most treatments completed in 15 minutes • Comfortable atmosphere • Certified medical staff BARE SOLUTIONS As seen on Channel 7's Healthy Living Live! Don't hibernate, call Bare Solutions. [248) 324-BARE Farmington Hills PROFESSIONAL UNISEX HAIR REMOVAL BY EPILIGHTTm Detroit Jewish News 11/6 199 41