`It Was A Mistake To Use Arms'

Philadelphia
he Palestinian campaign of
terrorism continues, with at
least 23 persons murdered in
Tel Aviv on Jan. 6. And
every day, on average, without count-
ing minor incidents involving rocks
and firebombs, the Palestinians launch
more than 10 attacks on Israelis.
Which makes this a particularly apt
moment to review my assessment of a
year ago, that Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's tough response is the right
one and that it will cause the
Palestinians to give up on violence.
To begin with, while the violence
continues, it has diminished during
2002; the year's first quarter saw 50
percent more attacks than the fourth
quarter and well over twice as many
fatalities.
More significant, however, are the
many signs pointing to a realization
among Palestinians that adopting vio-
lence has been a monstrous mistake.
What the Associated Press calls a
"slowly swelling chorus of Palestinian
leaders and opinion-makers" is expres-
sing disillusion with the poverty, anar-

T

Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle

East Forum and author of the book
`Militant Islam Reaches America."
E mail• Pipes@MeForum.org

-

chy, detention, injury and death
brought by 27 months of violence.
Mahmoud Abbas, the number-two
Palestinian leader after Yasser Arafat ;
concedes, "It was a mistake to use arms
... and to carry out attacks inside Israel."
Abdel Razzak al-Yahya, the so-called
interior minister, denounces suicide
bombings against Israel as "murders for
no reason," demands an end to "all
forms of Palestinian violence" and
wants it replaced it with civil resistance.
Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser
finds that the use of arms did no good
and insists that the Palestinian struggle
"has to be a peaceful one."
Other developments confirm this sense
of dismay and a willingness to rethink:
• A sense of despair: "It's over," a
man in Ramallah says of the violence.
"We didn't achieve anything."
A Gazan is so numbed by the down-
ward spiral, he utters the unmention-
able: "To be honest, I think reoccupa-
tion [by Israel] would be better" than
the current situation.
• Regretting missed diplomatic
opportunities: "Didn't we dance for joy
at the failure of Camp David?" asks
Nabil Amer, formerly one of Arafat's
chief aides. "After two years of blood-
shed, we are now calling for what we
rejected."
• Less support for terrorism: Asked

Elections And The Israeli Arabs

Haifa

he political climate in Israel
is rapidly approaching the
boiling point and will con-
tinue to heat up until the
elections on Jan. 28.
Twenty-nine parties have qualified
to present candidates for the Knesset,
though a few may yet drop out for-
lack of the financial capacity to con-
duct a campaign, as well as the perse-
verance to remain in the race.
Five are Arab parties, and their role
on the electoral scene is deserving of
special attention.
Close to 600,000 Israeli Arabs have
the right to vote. If they were to unite
behind one party and turn out en
masse for the elections, they could send
to the Knesset a very sizeable parlia-
mentary bloc that could exercise con-

T

Carl Alpert is a U.S. native who made

aliyah in 1952. He is former head of
the Zionist Organization of America's
education department.
E mail• alpert@techunix.technion.ac.il

-

siderable influence on the proceedings.
In reality, however, they are highly
fragmented and torn by personality
clashes as well as by differences of
opinion on such issues as fundamen-
talism, socio-economic matters, pan-
Arab attitudes, secularism, concepts of
a Palestine state and other problems.
Complicating the situation even fur-
ther for them is a growing movement
that calls upon Arab citizens to boy- -
cott the elections altogether on the
grounds that they should not demon-
strate any form of loyalty to Israel at a
time when their sympathies should be
with the proposed Palestinian state.
What success this call will have will be
demonstrated only on election day.

Arab Impact

In the meantime, even the Jewish politi-
cal parties, alert for every possible vote
in the highly competitive polling, have
cast an eye on the Arab voting potential.
Left-wing Meretz, with a markedly
warm attitude toward the Arabs, has

grants were camped out near
by a Palestinian pollster if the
Jericho, hoping to enter
Palestinian Authority (PA.)
Jordan.
should, once it reaches an
Perhaps the most affecting
agreement with Israel, arrest
sign of a change came last
those setting off to engage in
month, when a self-described
violence within Israel, 86 per-
"heartbroken" Palestinian
cent of Palestinians polled in
father took the occasion of the
December 2001 said no, 76
death of his son, a leading ter-
percent in May 2002 said no,
DAN IEL
rorist, to launch an unprece-
and 40 percent in November
PIP ES
dented appeal to Israelis "to
2002. That's still very high but
Spe cial
the trend is clear.
Comm entary open a new page with the
Palestinian people and to
• Fear of retribution: On
achieve peace based on mutual
occasion, suicide bombers
respect and justice."
have turned themselves in, or were
Israelis are beginning to note the .
turned in by their parents, out of fear
change on the Palestinian side.
that the family house would be
Ephraim Halevy, former head of the
destroyed in retaliation.
Mossad,
has commented on "the buds
• Blaming Arafat: When the vio-
of Palestinian recognition" of the mis-
lence began, Palestinians held Israel
take in turning to violence. The chief
responsible for their many woes. But
of Israel's Ground Forces Command,
as time went by, says the well-known
Yiftah Ron-Tal, went further and in
pollster Khalil Shikaki, they turned
November predicted within months "a
"very strongly" against Arafat and the
decisive victory" for Israel.
P.A. One conspiracy theory holds that
The Bush administration should
Arafat initiated the violence less to
take two steps to speed this process
defeat Israel than to deflect growing
along: permit Israel to respond as it
discontent over the P.A.'s failures.
sees best and stop bestowing unde-
• Emigration: Fed up with their
served gifts on the Palestinians (the
self-inflicted misery, some 10,000
latest: promises of a state in 2003).
Palestinians a month left the West
The sooner Palestinians realize how
Bank and Gaza during 2002, while
many more tried to flee. At one point, counterproductive their violence is,
the sooner they will end it. El
more than 40,000 would-be emi-

All these factors, in addi-
placed an Arab among the first
tion to the internal competi-
10 of its list of candidates, with
tiveness in the Arab commu-
good chances of his being elected.
nity, create a situation of
The move will no doubt divert
doubt as to the outcome.
many Arab votes to Meretz.
The extremists proclaim
The Labor Party has placed
that the five Arab parties in
an Arab in the number 20 slot
the present Knesset have not
on its list, and the desire to
sufficiently served. Arab inter-
assure his election might draw
CARL
ests. A vociferous youth group,
many of his compatriots to vote
ALP ERT
Sons of the Village, is capital-
for that party, especially since
Spe cial
the leader of the party, Amram
Comm entary izing on the situation to
demand that instead of voting
Mitzna, is seen as a moderate
for the Israeli Knesset, the
and friend of the Arabs, in con-
country's Arabs should demand the
trast to Arik Sharon.
establiShment of an all-Arab parlia-
Even the Likud has placed a Druze
ment to deal with life and problems of
in its number 22 slot, with positive
Israel's Arabs, and eventually unite
assurance of election. Why would
with the Palestine state-to-be.
members of the minorities vote for a
The existing Arab parties, while not
right-wing Jewish party? Dr. Elie
denying their identification as
Rekhess, director of the Tel Aviv
University Program on Arab Politics in Palestinians, insist that under present
circumstances progress can be made
Israel, gives the answer: patronage.
only through the Knesset, which pro-
The parties that win or that form the
vides a platform from which they can
new government will be in a position to
make appointments, allocate concessions voice their views and their demands.
Indeed, it is that platform which has
or distribute other plums to their sup-
given prominence to Israeli Arab
porters and blocs of voters often oppor-
spokesmen like Ahmad Tibi, Azmi
tunistically make sure that the potential
winners know of their support.
ALPERT on page 32

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2003

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