A Wary "Hip, Hip"
Israelis fear Hussein
will rebuild his mass-
destruction weapons.
ERIC SILVER
Israel Correspondent
Jerusalem
sraelis gave two cheers for
Operation Desert Fox.
With vivid memories of the
39 Scuds Saddam fired at Tel-
Aviv in . 1991, they applauded every
sortie on Baghdad and Basra.
Remembering that two Arab armies,
gyptian and Syrian, attacked Israel
during Ramadan (not just Yom
Kippur) in 1973, they felt no scruples
about an Anglo-American offensive in
the Muslim holy month.
But Israel is waiting to see what
the long-term effect on its own secu-
rity will be.
Desert Fox. like Desert Storm
eight years earlier, left the Iraqi dicta-
tor down, but not out. Israelis don't
know how assiduous the United
States and Great Britain will be in
making sure that he doesn't rebuild
his arsenal of chemical and biological
weapons, and the means to deliver
them.
"Saddam is still able . to begin with-
out hindrance to manufacture every-
thing he had manufactured in the
past and that was destroyed,"
Ephraim Sneh, a Labour politician
and former general, commented in
the newspaper Ividariv. "We received
an extension that may last just a few
years. The know-how exists in Iraq,
and Saddam knows where to acquire
the necessary components."
The renewal of hostilities in the
,,,
Gulf, albeit for only four days, added
urgency to Israel's quest for an effec-
tive defense against ground-to-ground
missiles that could be fired from
either Iraq or Iran. Despite the bad
blood generated last week between
President Clinton and Prime Minister
Binjamin Netanyahu, the strategic
cooperation between their two
nations is expected to become even
closer.
The Patriots deployed last week
were said to be better than those
which achieved only limited success
in 1991, but the Patriot is an anti-air-
craft weapon that was never meant to
bring down missiles flying above the
earth's atmosphere.
not affect the peace process. "Is the
Israeli public that extreme that it will
not tolerate making peace during the
elections campaign?" he asked.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel
would adhere to the accord. But,
Cabinet to suspend the Wye agree-
reiterating the stance adopted this
GIL SEDAN •
ment until the Palestinian Authority
week by his Cabinet, he added that
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
lives up to five conditions — includ-
Israeli implementation of the accord
ing Arafat's recanting his statehood
would depend on the Palestinian
Jerusalem
promise.
Authority's fulfilling the five condi-
alestinian Authority
On Tuesday, one day after the
tions, which Palestinian officials say
Chairman Yassir Arafat will
Knesset voted to hold early elections,
are unacceptable.
have to muster all his
Netanyahu returned to the issue
Beyond finding a political formula
political skills for the com-
when he kicked off his campaign for
that will work with the Israeli and
ing months — because he is about to
the premiership. Warning that Arafat
Palestinian public, Arafat will also
play a major role in Israel's election
will "decide unilaterally on our
have to find the right words for his
future," Netanyahu told Israel Radio
campaign.
big new friend: the United States.
It is no secret that the Palestinian
that the Israeli "people will give us
A statement issued this week by
leader would far prefer that an Israeli
the support to achieve peace with
the U.S. State Department urging
politician more moderate than Prime
security."
Israel to continue with the imple-
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Arafat can pull the political rug
mentation of the Wye accord
emerge
t, victorious from Israel's
and praising the Palestinian
round of early elections.
Authority for having fulfilled
Already keenly aware that
its part of the deal was music
what he says and does in the
to Arafat's ears.
corning months could have an
But the Palestinian leader
impact on the election's out-
was put in a difficult position
come, Arafat will 'therefore
by Operation Desert Fox, the
have to play a careful game.
-41 four days of U.S. shelling of
Perhaps first and foremost,
Baghdad.
he will have to keep a watchful
Arafat did not want to
eye on the extremists operating
harm relations with President
within his own backyard.
Clinton, who only days earli-
When Israel had its previous
er had become the first
election campaign in 1996,
American leader to visit the
then-Premier Shimon Peres
Gaza Strip. But he also had
_held a comfortable margin in
to deal with his own political
the polls over opposition leader
backyard, where the
Netanyahu — until Hamas
Above: Palestinians carry posters of Iraqi leader Saddam Palestinian people made no
launched a series of terror
Hussein and signs denouncing President Clinton as they secret of their sympathy for
attacks that were widely credit- march through the West Bank town of Nablus to protest Iraq.
ed w ith helping Netayahu win. United States and British airstrikes against Iraq
In the end, Arafat's securi-
Arafat will have to position
Thursday, Dec. 17. Palestinans across the West bank
ty apparatus did little to quell
himself as a champion of peace held demonstrations to support the Iraqi people and
the violent demonstrations in
express disappointment with Clinton whom they had
with Israel — but at the same
the Palestinian streets that
cheered only days earlier during his visits to the Gaza
time convince his own people
accompanied Desert Fox.
Strip and Bethlehem.
that he is an equally staunch
The same American flags that
supporter of Palestinian rights.
Palestinian youths had waved
He will need to continue
out from under Netanyahu by post-
proudly when Clinton visited Gaza
speaking of the "Peace of the Brave,"
poning any decision about statehood.
were now burned during a series of
but at the same time promise that a
The more political options he leaves
angry protests against "American
Palestinian state is just around the
open, the more the Israeli left will
aggression." The swift end of Desert
corner.
have to gain.
Fox was just what Arafat needed —
The problem is that his position
Along with the other challenges
before the situation among
on Palestinian statehood could have
facing him, Arafat will have to find
Palestinian demonstrators got out of
as much impact on Israel's elections
the right posture regarding the peace
hand.
as a terror attack.
process.
The pro-Iraqi demonstrations
Arafat has stated repeatedly that
After Monday's Knesset vote to
highlighted the Palestinian leader's
he would declare statehood unilatet-
hold early elections, Arafat and
vulnerability among his own people.
ally on May 4, 1999, the end of the
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat
Their expectations and aspirations
interim period specified in the Oslo
urged Israel to continue implement-
may ultimately determine how much
accords. If he repeats that statement
ing the Wye accord.
political maneuverability Arafat will
in the coming months, he could play
Erekat dismissed the elections as
have in the coming months.
into the hands of the Israeli right.
an internal Israeli matter that should
This week, Netanyahu got his
Arafat will be major player in
Israeli election campaign
lel
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12/25
1998
Detroit Jewish News
11