major concern to the Palestinian
Authority, partly because the riots
were also directed against the self-
rule government for having failed to
reach a better agreement regarding
the releases during the Wye summit
in late October.
Once the Palestinian Authority
realized that it, along with Israel, was
a potential target of the campaign, it
joined the popular movement and
channeled the violence against us,"
according to Maj. Gen. Moshe
Ya'alon, head of the Israel Defense
Force's central command, which has
responsibility for the West Bank.
It is true that in the past Israel has
agreed to controversial prisoner
releases. In 1985, thousands of pris-
oners "with blood on their hands"
were freed in return for the release of
several Israeli soldiers who were held
by a terrorist group in Lebanon.
That exchange came back to haunt
Israel, as many of the prisoners later
engaged in new acts of terrorism.
Seen from this perspective,
Netanyahu's government has been
more sensitive about the issue than
previous governments.
At the same time, the Palestinian
Authority has a vested interest in
calming the situation in the West
Bank as soon as possible. It, too, is
concerned that the riots will ger out
of control.
There was speculation this week
about a possible compromise under
which Israel would release a number
of prisoners, perhaps on a case-by-
case basis, in response to specific
requests from the Palestinian
Authority.
But there is at least one potential
obstacle: Many of the prisoners are
Hamas terrorists and activists. If the
Palestinian Authority settles for the
release of Fatah prisoners and
neglects those belonging to Hamas,
this may prove a prescription for fur-
ther trouble.
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Germany Affirms
Ties To Israel
Top officials in Germany's new gov-
ernment told a visiting delegation of
American Jewish leaders that they
plan to maintain Germany's close
relationship to Israel.
"There is a special responsibility of
German democracy toward Israel,"
Foreign Minister Joschka Fisher told
the American Jewish Committee del-
egation.
12/1
199,
Detroit Jewish News
33