TURN Sharon had gone soft on the Palestinians. Political Defections Tourism Minister Binyamin Elon and National Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman specifically cited Sharon's announcement that he was freeing Arafat to travel from his Ramallah headquarters. The resignations, which were to go into effect later in the week, mean Sharon will now have to rely on the support of the Labor Party and the Orthodox Shas Party to stay in power until the next round of elections are held late next year. For its part, the Labor Party has been debating whether Sharon had gone too far in his military reprisals against the Palestinians. But last week, the party's leader, shooting attack near a West Bank set- tlement. • Sunday: One Israeli was killed and another wounded in a shooting attack at the Gaza settlement of Netzarim. The gunman opened fire with a pistol at the gate used by workers to enter the settlement. Also that day, a 12- year-old Israeli was seriously wounded in a Palestinian shooting attack at a bar mitzvah in Ashdod. Police appre- hended the gunman, who fled the scene after his gun jammed. • Saturday: Thirteen Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and Netanya. In the Jerusalem attack, 11 Israelis were killed and at least 54 injured in a suicide bombing at Cafe Moment. In the Netanya attack, two Palestinian terrorists shot dead two Israelis and injured about 50. An Israeli civilian also was killed in the crossfire between police and the terror- ists. These attacks came on the heels of another attack March 7, when five Israeli teen-agers were killed and 23 wounded by a Palestinian terrorist in a Gaza settlement. The five were killed when the terrorist cut through fences into the settlement, opened fire and threw grenades. Israeli officials cited the dizzying pace of attacks on Israelis when explaining the IDF operations against the Palestinians. U.N. Criticism Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Defense Minister Benjamin Ben- Eliezer, got party members to agree not to leave the government during this period of national emergency. While many can only guess what Sharon's strategy truly is, all would agree that the country is in a state of emergency. Witness the following casualties: • Tuesday: Six Israelis were killed and seven wounded while traveling close to the Lebanese border. The six were shot by terrorists who opened fire on vehicles traveling a highway in the western Galilee. In another incident that day, one Israeli was killed and another moderately wounded in a These operations prompted United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to lash out against Israel during a speech Tuesday before the Security Council, where he called on the Jewish state to end its "illegal occupation" of Palestinian lands. Annan also said the actions of the IDF "gravely erode Israel's standing in the international community." At the same time, however, Annan also took cognizance of the Israeli death toll. He added that the number of fatalities on both sides had soared to appalling levels, and urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to "lead your peoples away from disaster." Some argue that Sharon has no real strategy and is just playing it from day to day. Others say his strategy is to remain perpetually unpredictable and that this keeps the Palestinian leadership off balance. As the seemingly interminable vio- lence continues, according to this group, inscrutablity is a definite asset. ❑ M,S14tISOF,' 12,000 Miles/Year 36 Month Lease `59,..<1:$ • 2002 Deville FULLY LOADED! AU DETTE a,',-(zeeac THE FUSION OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Mon. & Thurs. till 9; Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6 www.audettecadillac.com 7100 Orchard Lake Rd.., W. Bloomfield 2 41- 13 $3 1. 720 0 *$1.059.00 due at signing plus tax, title and plate, all rebates to dealer. Must take delivery out of dealer stock. Must qualify for GM employee pricing. Must qualify for Loyalty programs. Program ends 2/28/02. AWTO A ■ DAVID ROSENMAN'S ImaPIURCHIASERII NEW & USED CAR BROKER Sales • Leasing • Buying (248) 851-CARS (248) 851-2277 www.detroitjewishnews.com 3/15 2002 19