This Week Special Report Cycle Of HARRY KIRS BAUM Stair Writer T o David Roet, the term cycle of violence" does not apply to Israel. "There is no cycle of vio- lence just like there is no cycle of vio- lence in Afghanistan," said Roet, Chicago-based deputy consul general of Israel in the Midwest, to 50 members of the Zionist Organization of America, Michigan Region March 11. "There is no excuse for suicide bombers." He said he sees the television media as misinformed and biased against Israel. "This is our own fight against terror- ism — contrary to what some try to report that we are trying to take out the Palestinians," he said. "Israel sees no mil- itary solution to this. If and when the Palestinians will be willing to negotiate for peaCe, there will be a member of the Israel government willing to negotiate in good faith." The day before his ZOA talk, Roet opened the "Israel Under the Lens" conference, a one- day event in Ann Arbor organized by three pro-Israel campus organiza- tions and the University of Michigan Hillel. David Roet The next day, he spoke with local media in Detroit. "We believe that we should both be speaking to the converted and the non- converted," he told the Jewish News " Israel deputy consul general blasts media coverage of Mideast violence. prior to addressing the ZOA. He said he was satisfied with the attendance of the March 10 Ann Arbor conference, but was concerned about the student's level of knowledge. "For some reason, we don't always see this dedication and willingness to-come, up and make a statement," he said. "The Palestinian and the Muslim_ associ- ations in the universities are mostly sec- ond generation. They know their histo- ry, they know what they're doing and what they believe in. They want to be active and they're willing to take the danger. "Our kids are less connected," he said. "They might have less knowledge. They support Israel; they don't always know why. And Israel has not been calling out for help in their lifetime." As for the current situation in the Mideast, Roet said he appreciates the role the Bush administration has taken. "I understand there is a change in the decision by America to be more involved . in terms of standing by [U.S. Mideast Envoy Anthony] Zinni and [Vice President Dick] Cheney, and we see this as positive," he said. He cited three concessions made by Israel — allowing Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat to leave his com- pound, forgoing the seven days of no violence and allowing American observers. "Unfortunately, the answer was terror- ism," he said. At the luncheon, he told of the coffee shop 200 meters from his parents home in Jerusalem that was recently bombed. "I can honestly say I've never drunk more coffee from any other shop than that one," he said. "Two days ago, in another place I can honestly say that I've never drunk more beer in, the Moment Cafe in Jerusalem, 11 people were killed for just going to a restau- rant." The CNN headline "Tit for Tat" and the linking of Israeli and Palestinian . killed angered him, he said. Roet said he was upset that in recent weeks, terror attacks in Israel didn't war- rant "Breaking News" headlines on CNN or other cable news networks. "We should not let terror become a normal thing," he said. According to a recent poll, overall American support of Israel has dipped to 43 percent from a high of 55 percent three months ago, he said. Palestinian support has remained at 14 percent. He said that the' numbers shouldn't be cause for panic, but something must be done. "We should go beyond the cocoon of our day-to-day lives in the Jewish com- munity and we should speak to our neighbors," he said. "People are not understanding what is going on in the area." There is no military solution to the problem, but there is also not much new in the Saudi plan, he said. "Yet I am hopeful that this will start the ball rolling." Julian Cohen of Detroit, who attend- ed the ZOA speech, said the Israelis shouldn't have started to give away land in the first place. "They started giving away the Sinai, then the Gaza Strip, so the Arabs are just waiting," he said. "They just keep argu- ing and fighting and they'll give some- thing else away." Arthur Sugarman of Southfield said American Jews should "answer with a single voice." "Our duty is to support the decisions made by the people who put themselves on the front line rather than those who write editorials," he said. "We're here to support them." ❑ ewish Telegraphic Agency Last weekend's deadly attacks in Jerusalem and Netanya were the latest chapter in a long series of terrorism launched by Palestinians against Israeli targets. Following is a timeline of some of the major attacks that occurred since the start of 2002: 3/15 2002 14 Jan. 15 — Palestinian gunmen kill an elderly Israeli-American who drives into the Bethlehem area. After he is kidnapped at a Palestinian check- point, his bullet-ridden body is later found in Beit Sahur. Also that day, an Israeli woman is shot and killed at the entrance to Givat Ze'ev, a settlement near Jerusalem. Jan. 17 — Six Israelis are killed and 33 injured when a Palestinian terrorist with an assault rifle attacks guests at a bat mitzvah celebration in Hadera. The gunman is shot and killed by police. Jan. 22 — A Palestinian terrorist opens fire in downtown Jerusalem, killing two women and wounding dozens of others, before being shot and killed by police. Jan. 25 — A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates explosives in a pedestrian shopping mall in Tel Aviv. The bomber kills himself and wounds 24 bystanders. Jan. 27 — A woman bomber strikes in Jerusalem, killing one man and wounding more than 100 peo- ple. Feb 6 — A mother and her 11-year-old daughter are mur- dered in their Jordan Valley home. The terrorist is killed by IDF forces. Feb. 16 — A suicide bomber kills three teen-agers and wounds 27 people in an attack Right: Shoes from a nearby shop lie in shattered glass near the. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) site of a suicide bombing in downtown Jerusalem Jan. 27. A suicide bomber detonated explosives in downtown Jerusalem just after midday, killing one bystander on a busy street that has been the scene of several previous attacks. Below: An unidentified woman, whose condition is not known, arrives at the hos- 1 pital in the northern Israeli town of Hadera Jan. 18, after she was wounded in an attack at a banquet in Hadera. A _Palestinian gunman opened fire with an assault rifle, Israeli police said.