Israeli withdrawal from all land won in the 1967 Six-
Day War — as the backbone of future negotiations.
Bush also reprised his earlier tough comments
demanding an immediate withdrawal of Israeli
troops from the West Bank.
Even while Congress was passing bills last week in
solidarity with Israel, the Bush administration was
emphasizing a more international approach.
Russia, the European Union and the United
with the administration. But the tide seems sudden-
Nations joined U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
ly to have turned.
in announcing an international peace conference for
Many pro-Israel forces in the Jewish community
early
this summer.
and Congress are worried that the new momentum
Taken together, the developments have led Israeli
could lead to undue pressures on Israel.
Bush's meeting late last month in Texas with Saudi officials and many American Jewish leaders to con-
clude that the peace process was being pushed at the
Crown Prince Abdullah, just two days after the end
clip that Arab states
of the
demanded.
American Israel
The main problem,
Public Affairs
critics
said, is that the
Committee
timetable
toward politi-
policy confer-
cal
negotiations
was cut,
ence, changed the focus
with the White House
back to the leadership
now calling for negotia-
role that relatively mod-
tions to begin alongside
erate Arab states could
security talks, rather
play in ending the Israeli-
than after a cease-fire
Palestinian conflict.
has been reached.
Some argue that Bush
For his part, Sharon,
is not working from a
armed
with his own
clear playbook, but
proposals, sought to
rather is following the
curb the diplomatic
advice of the last person
momentum to a level
he speaks to. Therefore, a President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon conduct a
press conference in the Oval Office at the White House
that — given the last
productive meeting with
months of violence and
the Saudi Arabian leader following their talks on May 7.
the doubts about
has led to several weeks
Arafat's
credibility
—
he
considered
more realistic.
of tough White House talk toward Israel.
David
Satterfield,
deputy
assistant
secretary of
Until the Texas meeting, many Israel backers had
state for Near Eastern affairs, said an immediate
thought that Bush strongly backed Israel's positions,
but recent events have shown that the convergence is political dialogue was necessary to move forward.
"You're not going to have sustained security unless
not so close.
you have a political process," Satterfield told the
Bush seems to have a new interest in using the
Saudi peace initiative — which calls on Arab states
PAINTING THE PICTURE on page 24
to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for an

Painting The Picture

Sharon tries to show Washington that Arafat, Saudis not to be trusted

MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington, D.C.
sraeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to
the United States this week with a mission:
to paint a different picture for the Bush
administration and the American
public about Israel's once and, perhaps,
future peace partners.
Israel wanted the Palestinian Authority's
Yasser Arafat to be seen as a leader who
has reneged on past agreements, has chosen violence
over peace, cannot be trusted — and thus can't be a
player in future political negotiations.
The Israeli delegation also wanted to paint Saudi
Arabia as an accomplice to terrorism — based on
evidence of its funding to groups like Hamas and
payments to the families of suicide bombers —
rather than the leader in a push for peace.
"Our interest is to say things that if we won't say
them, nobody else will," Israel's interior minister, Eli
Yishai, said on May 8.
With a tentative diplomatic opening emerging
after 19 months of violence, Sharon's strategy was
important because it could influence the contours of
any future peace talks.
But even after his meeting with President Bush on
Tuesday, it's too early to tell whether the Israeli pre-
mier succeeded.
The two leaders met just after a suicide bombing at a
billiard parlor south of Tel Aviv. At least 15 people were
killed and 60 injured in the attack, the first inside Israel
since the country withdrew most of its forces from the
West Bank after a campaign to root out terrorists.
Because of the attack, Sharon canceled scheduled
meetings with congressional leaders and his Wednesday
engagements and returned to Israel on Tuesday night.
When Bush emerged from the meeting and was
asked whether Sharon should negotiate with Arafat,
he said, "I'm never going to tell my friend the prime
minister what to do."
Bush also announced that he was sending CIA
Director George Tenet to the Middle East to help
with the construction of "a unified security force" in
the Palestinian territories.
Israel has long said that the multiplicity of forces,
which Arafat encourages, contributes to the general
lawlessness and lack of accountability.
Bush also said he hoped Arab states would work on
reforming the Palestinian leadership "as soon as possible."
For his part, Sharon said after the meeting that it
was premature to discuss a Palestinian state until
there were real reforms among the Palestinians.

I

ANAL' YSIS

U.S. Turnabout?

Sharon's efforts came just weeks after Israeli officials
and pro-Israel activists were basking in their bond

5/10
2002

22

0
O
0

A Test For Arafat

Bombing dims hope for diplomacy; Arafitt pressured to choose peace or terror.

NAOMI SEGAL

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

r,

Jerusalem

or a few brief days, it appeared there
might be room for a diplomatic open-
ing to end the Israeli-Palestinian con-
flict.
Now, however, diplomacy may again take a
back seat to terrorism and counter-terror opera-
tions.
In the first major Palestinian terror attack since
Israel ended Operation Protective Wall in the
West Bank, a bomber killed at least 15 people
and wounded more than 60 when he blew up a
pool hall in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon le-

Zion on Tuesday night. A second suicide bomber
severely wounded himself Wednesday near Haifa,
but did not injure a group of soldiers waiting at a
bus station near the Megiddo Junction.
The Rishon le-Zion attack occurred as Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was about to enter a
meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush at
the White House. The two leaders were informed
of the attack during the meeting.
Sharon, who cut short his U.S. visit, said
before flying home that the bombing was "proof
of the true intentions of the person leading the
Palestinian Authority," a reference to Arafat.
"Israel will not surrender to blackmail," he said.
"He who rises up to kill us, we will pre-empt it
and kill him first."

