Cover Story/War On Terrorism
Eye For An Eye
"Targeted killings" debate renews in wake of Israeli official's murder.
MATTHEW E. BERGER
tion against terror. The Bush adminis-
tration is said to have prepared a new
Mideast peace plan toward that goal.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice
chairman of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, said Ze'evi's death
magnifies those concerns.
"It does give urgency to the issue,"
Hoenlein said. "It validates the view that
you can't put the peace process together
artificially without acts on the ground."
President Bush, for his part, con-
demned the assassination "in the
strongest terms," White House
spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "This
despicable act is further evidence of
the need to fight terrorism."Even
those who favor peace talks believe
Wednesday's assassination will ice the
Bush administration's push to renew
negotiations.
"It's certainly likely to dampen
recent hopes for diplomatic move-
ment," said Tom Smerling,
Washington director of the Israel
Policy Forum. "It may ignite more
Powdery Threat
powder found on an El Al airplane,
and Brandeis University evacuated two
buildings after a white powdery sub-
stance was believed to to have been
delievered in an envelope.
Both incidents turned out to be false
alarms.
Organization faction, took responsibility
for shooting Ze'evi in the Hyatt Hotel
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
in Jerusalem. Israel assassinated the
PFLP's leader, Mustafa Zibri, in August
Washin on
following a string of PFLP terror attacks.
he assassination Wednesday
Some U.S. Jewish leaders hoped
of Israel's tourism minister,
Ze'evi's murder would force the Bush
Rehavam Ze'evi, may create
administration to acknowledge the con-
additional pressure on
stant threat of violence Israelis
the Bush administration to under-
face, and the need for tactics like
stand Israel's plight.
targeted killings.
"This has to throw into sharper
"For our government to not
relief the disconnect between the
recognize the awesome threat
State Department's criticism of
Israel faces and the obligation
Israel's defensive actions against
of Israel to respond to threats
terrorists and the reality of the ter- Reha v am
would not be the response of a
rorist threat Israel faces on a daily
Ze'evi
government that is sympathetic
Jason Isaacson, director
basis,"
with
the
people of Israel and the gov-
of government and international affairs
ernment
of
Israel," Isaacson said.
for the American Jewish Committee.
Jewish
leaders
have been concerned
As recently as Monday, the State
that the Bush administration will pres-
Department had reiterated its opposition
sure the Israeli government to resume
to "targeted killings," the Israeli policy of
peace negotiations with Palestinian
taking out Palestinian militants responsi-
Authority leader Yasser Arafat —
ble for attacks on Israel or believed to be
despite continuing Palestinian violence
planning additional attacks.
—
in order to bolster Arab and
The Popular Front for the Liberation
Muslim
support for the U.S.-led coali-
of Palestine, a Palestine Liberation
Anthrax scare reaches Jewish organizations.
MICHAEL J. JORDAN and
JULIE WIENER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
T
hreats to prominent Jewish
organizations may be par for
the course, but the current
anthrax scare has Jewish
activists as jumpy as other Americans.
Employees at several Jewish organi-
zations were expected to be checked
for anthrax late Wednesday after
anthrax spores were found in the New
York City offices of Gov. George
Pataki. The Jewish groups and Pataki's
office are in the same building.
The groups — the Reform move-
ment's Union of American Hebrew
Congregations and ARZA/World
Union, along with the Conference of
10/19
2001
18
Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, the World Zionist
Organization and the Jewish Agency
for Israel — together have approxi-
mately 325 employees.
Although the air circulation system
in the building was apparently shut
down to prevent spread of the spores,
the building was not evacuated and the
Jewish organizations — which already
have security measures in place and,
like all New York offices, have been
screening mail more carefully in recent
days, were continuing with their work.
"It's obviously very disturbing, but
we can't allow ourselves to become
paralyzed by fear," said Malcolm
Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of
the Presidents Conference.
Israeli authorities on Monday con-
ducted anthrax tests on a suspicious
Intifizda Backlash
Jewish organizations have experienced
a general increase in threatening calls
or letters since the Palestinian intifada
(uprising) began a year ago, but Jewish
leaders say there has been no increase
in threats to institutions since the
events of Sept. 11.
Nevertheless, they're not taking
chances.
The leading pro-Israel lobby, the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, stopped opening mail
Monday that lacked a return address
after it got word that U.S. Senate
Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office
had received a letter containing anthrax.
AIPAC is now re-assessing its mail
policy, spokeswoman Rebecca Needler
said. "We're going to do everything in
cycles of violence."
However, European leaders said the
killing made it more urgent to press
forward with peace talks. "I urge
restraint on all sides in response to the
men of violence who only want to
wreck any proposals for peace," British
Prime Minister Tony Blair said. "I
called on Monday for courage and -
leadership for a new start. Never was
that more needed than now."
The Palestinian Authority con-
demned the killing, and Arafat said he
ordered the killers' arrest.
However, Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon froze all diplomatic con-
tact with the Palestinian Authority;
called off plans to ease restrictions on
Palestinians in the West Bank and
reimposed the Israeli cordon around
Ramallah. Some speculated that the
easing of restrictions on Ramallah had
allowed the killers to travel the few
kilometers from there to the Hyatt on
Mount Scopus in eastern Jerusalem,
where the shooting took place.
"The full responsibility falls squarely
on Arafat, as someone who has con-
trolled, and continues to control, terror-
ism, and as one who has not — to this
day — taken even one serious step to
prevent terrorism," Sharon told a special
Knesset session in memory of Ze'evi.
Arafat "knew that not taking steps
against organizations such as Islamic
Jihad would lead to terrible acts of
our power to secure AIPAC offices all
around the country," she said.
Most Jewish leaders said they are
scrutinizing their mail much more
closely, especially letters from suspi-
cious locales — such as Florida, where
the anthrax scare began.
Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy in
Washington was temporarily closed
Tuesday in response to an anthrax scare.
A letter containing a suspect sub-
stance arrived at the building next
door, occupied by the United Arab
Emirates embassy.
U.S. authorities are examining the
envelope. The embassy later reopened.
At another prominent organization, a
letter postmarked from Florida with no
return address was quickly hustled into
an isolated room, where it was opened
with latex gloves and a letter opener.
It turned out to be a letter from
someone claiming to be the Messiah.
But that's typical run-of-the-mill, off-
the-wall correspondence, say activists.
Increased Precautions
"We, like all Jewish institutions, have